Sheltered Dreams

This morning I flipped the page on my inspirational calendar in my bathroom, and I discovered this little poem by Louise Driscoll:

Within your heart
Keep one still, secret spot
Where dreams may go
And, sheltered so,
May thrive and grow.

In a nutshell, this is what I've been trying to say about dreams for the last few months. I believe that dreams are the blueprints for our realities. When I was younger, I was in constant angst about my big dreams, because they made me feel like a failure since I wasn't in any place to make those dreams a reality. But over the years, I've settled into myself and now, when the conditions are right, those dreams don't seem far-fetched at all.

Hope and expectation always bring frustration to our souls when our dreams seem unreachable. We want to give up because that is easier, and it will silence the pain of hoping without achieving. I encourage you not to give up. I quit on my dreams for many years, but that little flame of belief was thankfully never completely extinguished.

There is a time and place for everything. I couldn't write well when I didn't know myself, and I needed this first half of my life to get to this place. My dream was always there, propelling me forward, even when I felt angry and betrayed by it. I can see now that I needed it, like a voice singing bravely in the dark, to make it to this place, where getting out of bed each morning is easy because I have something to say and a place to say it.

I don't think we can ever know when the conditions will be right for our dream to blossom into reality. The soil of our lives needs to be overturned, and watered, and rototilled until something can actually grow there. That's part of the magic and the mystery of life, to walk our paths and be open to the moment that is ours to grasp.

I'm so grateful for the e-mails, Facebook messages and comments I've received lately from several of you, saying that my blogs have inspired you to pursue your own dreams, and not to quit when times are tough. Those messages literally brighten up my day. I love that in life we can encourage each other when we most need it so that we keep walking our road, bruised and weary, until we reach our destination. In the meantime, keep that still, secret spot in your heart, for it will show you the way when the time is right.