The past can be a great portal into our future. No, I'm not talking time travel. At least not literally. But our past and our internal vault of memories and experiences can be a great source of inspiration if we let it. I love the metaphor of dusting used in this fortune. Because dusting implies discovery. Removing a fine layer of dust, sometimes caked-on filth, that has built up over time and is obscuring or covering up something beautiful underneath.
All dreams are beautiful. Dreams, and all aspirations, goals, and hopes, are wonderful gifts given to us to buoy us up and progress us forward. Not all dreams need or must be acted upon. Some dreams are fine as they are just being dreams. It is a human compulsion, especially in the United States, to feel the need to capitalize or commercialize our dreams. But it is okay to keep some dreams exactly where they are—in our heads.
Some dreams can and should be acted upon. They are clues to who we are and what we truly want to have, be, and accomplish. The materialization of our dreams is our gift to the world. It is a way of being of service to something bigger and beyond ourselves.
Perhaps your dream of opening a gluten-free bakery feels silly to you. Or frivolous. Or a waste of time. And maybe it is. And maybe, just maybe, your hopes and dreams are subconsciously nudging you towards filling some void in the universe. Like natures way of filling a hole that needs filling.
As adults it is easy to get mired in the day-to-day minutia of careers and bills and raising a family. It is easy to become distracted and even lost. The next thing we know, we wake up and wonder where the last decade of our life went. And we question whether or not we have anything of consequence to show for it.
This is where dreams are useful. Dreams are a gateway to our childhood. That time in our life when we loved without hesitation and forgave quickly and didn't hold long grudges. That time when we dreamed of flying to the moon or sailing around the ocean or, like me, drawing comic books and superheroes for a living.
Our childhood was a time of possibilities. Not limitations.
Sure, some of you will argue about the realities of life. Of providing shelter and food and such. That dreams are a luxury. Trust me, I'm not naive to the very real logistics of life.
But it doesn't have to be an either-or situation.
It is possible to pursue your passions, even if for just a little bit each week, and still pay the rent. It is possible to do both. For the past two months I have been meeting with a friend one evening a week after work. Just a few hours at a time. We're writing an adventure novel together. Just for fun. Because we want to. And let me just say, it has been a blast so far. It is not drawing comics, but creatively it feels exactly the same to me—which is a dream come true.
Time to dust off a few old dreams—you might be pleasantly surprised at what is lying beneath the surface.
To your good fortune!
