Do You Dream?

Do you dream? We all do, I think. We are very creative that way.

The other day, I was thinking about going to the grocery store. I only needed to pick up a couple of items, but when I got there I couldn’t find a parking space. I drove around the lot quite a few times, then I saw a car with its back up lights on so I decided to wait until it pulled out. Suddenly, a cart rolled across the lot right into my car. “People are so careless!” I thought as I got out of my car and pushed the cart back into the stall…properly. I then turned around and realized someone was trying to take my car! I ran over and executed a perfect Marine Corps defensive maneuver, effectively disabling the would-be thief just as the parking space freed up. I parked and got out of the car, carefully locking it and glaring at my writhing victim as I strolled by. “You should be more careful who you mess with,” I said. When I got inside the store, I discovered they had rap music playing again. Why can’t they just stick to the golden oldies? Who wants to listen to that mess, anyway? And they were out of Mini Coke…again! What is wrong with these people?!

This went on and on, until I pulled into the parking lot, quickly found a spot, got my case of Mini Coke while listening to Earth, Wind & Fire, and drove home.

This, my friends, is the kind of foolishness my mind whips up for me almost daily. I suspect fear is at its root or boredom, perhaps with some bravado thrown in. Hard to say. But I also believe that the mind is brimming with creativity and takes every opportunity to dazzle us. Not just my mind. Yours too! Perhaps the plot is a little different and may not involve causing bodily harm, but I’ll bet your stories are just as engaging.

Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” When we allow our minds to run free we can dance the most delicious dances, sing the most outrageous songs, and spin the most fanciful tales. When we release the reigns, our spirit fairly springs to life. It bursts, grinning, from its cage and sets the world on fire. I know with every fiber of my being that you, every one of you, can be and do and live any dream you dream. I know that you can paint, sing, dance, design, write, invent, develop, create anything you want. Can you guess what is holding you back? Beliefs: belief that you can’t, belief that you weren’t born with that talent, belief that you couldn’t add anything to what is already out there, belief that your people just aren’t the creative kind, belief that you’re too old, belief that you’re too young, belief that people will laugh, belief that you will fail. Let me tell you, friends, the day you quiet those beliefs, is the day you start living.

Our spirit, the thing that is the “real” us, has a limitless supply of resources. The universe is very generous that way. It supplies the spark that ignites the dream.

So, I ask you again, “Do you dream?” Because, if you do, I assure you, you are not just a dreamer.