The Act of Dreaming

         The other day, I braved the trenches of Target on a Sunday, to pickup a few things.  And as I was dodging children and way ward shopping carts a plaque caught my eye.  First, because it was on sale for $2.98 but secondly because of it message.

"To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act"   -Anatoie France

          This got me thinking about what it is to dream.  When we are young, we have dreams that seem grandiose and far fetched.  My dream was to be an actress/singer/ dancer.  I wanted to be famous and entertain the world.  I took acting, singing and dance lessons.  I even went to a performing arts middle school with plans to head to a the famed Laguardia High School, the school the movie "Fame" is based on.  But, my parents shut that down and told me I needed to think bigger and choose a path that had a more solid future.  And I was devastated.  I thought my life was going to be over once the lessons stopped and I could no longer become the star I always wanted to be. So,  I moved on and got my education and became a teacher.  A solid and stable career that I do love even when there are days that make me question my impact.  But I often ask myself, is there more?  Can I be more?  Do more?
    As we move into adulthood, something happens to our dreams.  We seem to no longer think in grand visions for our future.  Once we settle into our routines of work, family, and friends we seem to lose that audacity to move beyond the limitations that we think exist.  Now of course there are certain dreams that may have a slim chance of reaching just based on circumstances.  Like I know I can't be the next Beyonce at 30 years old.   But the key is to keep dreaming.  No one says you have the keep the same dreams throughout your whole life.  There is nothing stopping you for creating new dreams.  My girlfriend wants to write a children's book, now that she is a mother.  A friend of mine struggled for years to become a solo recording artist, but is now a award winning songwriter and is happy and satisfied with his success.
   The true difference between the dreams of our youth and ones we create in our adulthood is the power to make it happen.  The dream is the easy part once you allow yourself to do so.  For once, allow yourself to really think about what you want.  Whether it is a new business, a dream vacation, or build your dream home, the decision to make it happen is just the first step.  A plan of action is all you need at this point in your life to bring your dream to fruition. The greatness you want in your life can be yours.
      And if you are reading this and think to yourself this is a bunch of bull, consider this.  At one point in this country it was unfathomable that woman would be able to vote, or that African Americans would have the chance to know true equality until the actions of people like Martin Luther King Jr.  All of these shifts in history all started with a dream followed by the force of unwavering action.  Who's to say that your dream can't do the same.  Until the next time.....


Miss Amina Diva