Dreams

 

The last day of school always held for me a great feeling of spaciousness. Freedom from assignments, tests, papers, and routines. It felt like long held pressure finally allowed to release. The summer opened up time to just be. Time to wander and get bored, to hang out without an agenda, to play and to dream. I didn't know that this summer sense of open, decompressed time would never happen again in the same way once I was out of high school. In adult life, we have to carve it out and we have to learn how to find spaciousness throughout the day in our way of living. By being more present, slowing down, reacting less habitually, listening and speaking more mindfully, we gain a sense of space. And when we have space, we can dream. At any age, we all need to keep dreaming. This summer, let's welcome it.

Can you return to a question kids get asked more than adults: what dreams do you have? In our adult lives, we may not allow ourselves this question anymore. Does it feel like there are too many "practical" needs in the way to dream? I often feel that way. But, our dreams are important. They connect us to what we value, to what brings meaning and purpose. They make us inspired and alive. We need dreams. Our creativity is born in them. There is a reason for them. 

I invite you to take a pause:

1) Ask yourself, "what dream do I currently have that I have not been paying attention to?" Close your eyes, come back to your breath, and wait for as long as is needed for the answer to arise from deep within. Or maybe it will be right there at the surface.

2) Welcome it. Don't worry about how to achieve it, just hold the space for it and honor it. It does have a reason for being there. Enjoy the feeling of having it. It means you are very much alive.

3) Now ask, "what would it feel like if I followed the path of this dream?" Again, don't worry about how to accomplish it, let the feeling it gives you to move toward it inspire your next action. What energy does it produce in your body if you imagine making your dream happen? What color captures the feeling? How would life feel different knowing you followed your dream? 

4) Without making more of it than it is, what one step could you take this week that moves you a little closer to it? Think baby steps -- a phone inquiry, a  page of writing, clearing a physical space in your home to start something, updating your resume, signing up for a class. Say, "yes" to something that sends the signal to yourself that this matters. Your dreams matter. You matter.

🌼
Jean