Dreams...

Random Quote: "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." ~Walt Disney

  

  I saw this random quote and I knew I had to share it. 

  Recently, I've been dreaming again. My life has been like a Robert Frost poem, and the road that diverged has come upon me once again. 

   Decisions, decisions, decisions. 

   You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach? The one that says: "You need to follow your dream before your curl up into a ball of sadness and perish?" Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but you get what I'm saying right?

   We all have dreams. Your dream might be to make it big as the next band or land on the moon or get your Doctorate in Medicine or just make it through school. No matter what, you really should keep going and make your dream happen. Please don't let the small stuff get in your way and keep you from what you're meant to do.

    When I was little, I had a love for all things dramatic. I used to dress up in my best dresses and outfits, like most little girls, and find those too-large-red-shoes in the closet. I'd slip those heels onto my feet and feel like I was ready for Broadway. Then I'd walk into the kitchen with all the importance of a well-known Diva, and I'd start to sing and tap-dance like I was a star. 

   Of course, there were a few interesting tidbits about my performance that most of my family members failed to share with me out of the goodness of their hearts, lol. Those tiny details have continued to shape me throughout my short lively-hood here on Earth. Some of those details might have been: that I couldn't sing if my life depended on it or that, to be able to tap-dance well, I actually needed to know how to tap dance. Ginger Rogers, I was not. It would have been delightful to know those things as a child so that I wouldn't get my hopes up about becoming a famous dancer. Or singer. Or anything that had to do with musical ability and balance. We all live and learn though, right? 

   However, never underestimate the power of the go-getter. 

   So, beyond the kitchen scene where I tapped my heart out, I also had dramatic entrances preformed by my brother. These usually went along the lines of him saying something like, "Presenting Miss Piggy" and all sorts of nonsense that I think would be better left unrevealed. The one I mentioned is humiliation enough. Obviously, I was working on all attempts to be a part of the stage and take my famous theatrics beyond the playing field of my home turf. I could tell you stories... Well, I am technically, but I mean there are more, you just don't need to hear about them. Needless to say, I had imagination and humor even at the ages of four, five, and six. I think they stopped working at about seven. I'm sure you can guess why.

   Scroll forward several years through the part of my life known as "nightmare land (okay, maybe not that bad, but seriously, I'm talking teenage years, middle school, bad hair cuts, pants that didn't fit right, the works)", and you would find a happy becky greeting the world of higher education. 

   At last, my ship had come in and I was ready for it. I was going to take college by storm and reinvent myself. This was where my life started to mean something, and I'd finally understand what that was. Now, I could become all the things that I had dreamed about for years. I could really learn to be me. 

   Here I am. Ready for the entrance into what my life would be from that day forward. I held my breath. I picked my classes. I took their tests. I studied hard. I walked right into... something completely different. Obviously, my younger self knew nothing. Ya wanna know why? Because after all of my passion and flair for the dramatic and all that occurred in the years following my Kitchen Debut, I ended up deciding at the age of seven to become a-- Wait! Are you ready for it? Do you think you can really handle this? Should you keep reading? ...

   Okay. Keep reading.

   Did I become a famous tap-dancer? Nooo...
   Did I become a dancer of any profession? Nooo...
   Did I become a singer? Nooo...
   A song-writer? Nooo...
   An actress? Nooo...
   A theater connoisseur? Nooo...

   No, but if you guessed teacher, then: "Ding! Ding! Ding! You got it right!"

   Yeah, where did that come from? 

   Well, I was a young, naive seven-year-old. Truth be told, I knew I couldn't sing and that I had no balance. No one really had to tell me those things. What's sad though, is I let myself believe that no matter what I really wanted to do, I just wasn't good enough. And I hid behind it. I may not want to be famous or a dancer or a singer anymore (Let me just say that this isn't true. I still want to be a dancer and a singer. Just setting the record straight on those facts.) or an actress or have anything to do with theater (May I remind you that when I get in front of crowds I don't do well? At all.), but that doesn't mean that I don't still dream. Have hopes. Wish that I could carry a tune. However, I didn't stop and just breathe. I let my fear and circumstances dictate where I was to go.    

   It's way easier to do what's expected than to do what's in your heart. You can totally make excuses, find the safe route, do what you think is right, and then you realize, "What did I do?" Only then, it's too late. You can't undo the decisions made. You can't go back and fix what's broken. Life doesn't work that way. It is, what it is. 

   Don't get me wrong. I came up with new dreams. At the age of seven all my childhood dreaming became something new. I wanted to become a teacher to change the world. I thought it was the best option for me. This was something I dreamed of when the realization that singing may cause deafness came to my knowledge. My stuffed animals were great cheerleaders for this career change. They loved read-aloud time and hearing about other countries from the Encyclopedias. My bears were always partial to my Nancy Drew mysteries, and they sincerely hoped I would become a detective as well. They liked my accents and plot ideas. My bunny was of the opinion that I should never become a detective. I think she knew I suspected she was the one taking extra apple slices from the fridge. *Shrug*

   However, that time with my chalkboard, books, and stuffed friends made me realize how much I loved sharing with others. My mind started to paint a picture of me teaching in a room filled with others who wanted to learn as much as I loved to learn, to share. So, I decided to become a teacher.     

   Still, my heart dreams. This time it dreams in letters, words.

   When I was twelve, it dawned on me that all the books I read were openings into another world. No matter how I felt any given day, those books provided an outlet, an escape, a peace. For me, that was priceless. Those were the worlds on which I could depend. They were my freedom from the hard days or even just a way to exercise my imagination. Picturing yourself as a world famous detective, the bell of the ball, a classic ballerina, a rock star, a heroine or anything else is exhilarating. It's freeing in a way no one can understand unless they share the same kind of book love. These were the dreams that I built my life upon. There is such a thing as reality though. I knew I was none of those things. I also knew that a book couldn't change that fact or make me into a dream. Sometimes, what you let yourself believe you truly are gets stuck in your head in ways that you will never quite forget. 

   I wasn't what I thought I should be, so I became what I thought I could be. Making decisions is hard. Decisions can change the course of your life in ways you'd never begin to imagine. My life ended up going in the direction I wanted it to go. It became my dream and my reality. I listened to my bears, lol, and it led me to this moment in time. I am grateful for it and sincerely enjoy it. This seven-year-old's dream came true. I just sometimes wonder what would have happened if I'd listened to the six-year-old's dream or the twelve-year-old's dream or even the twenty-year-old's dream? 

   Dreams don't die. Sometimes it will take you a very long time to make them happen, but when you do, it makes them that much sweeter. My heart dreams in words. I can paint the picture of a story inside my head. I love to make up my own plots of all sorts. Random stories. Random anything is really awesome, lol. So, now I have a new story to share. I have new words to speak. They may not be perfect. They may not be what someone, somewhere think they should be. You know what? WHO CARES?! It's my dream. I'm making it happen. I'm stepping out of my box and realizing that there are no boundaries on dreams. At least, there shouldn't be. 

   I'm giving fear up. Everyone has a story to share. This is part of mine: I am an author, a writer, a person who loves to put my imagination on paper. 

   So, here I am. A real published author. If you hadn't realized that fact yet: SURPRISE! It feels amazing. Awesome. One of a kind. I can't tell you how excited and thrilled that I truly am, and I want to share that feeling with all of you! :)

   If interested, my first book ever is now on Amazon.com eBooks, and you can find it by typing in Rebecca Reddell or Random Poetry  OR you can check out this link right here: http://www.amazon.com/Random-Poetry-ebook/dp/B00F7QMET2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379870956&sr=8-1&keywords=rebecca+reddell

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! I am SO SUPER EXCITED!!!

   I hope you will preview and purchase Random Poetry! I hope you will love the eclectic poetry I have assembled and will also love to share it with others. Please feel free to post or message me your thoughts. You can also check out my Author Page on Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/rebeccareddell.randominspirations

   I hope you love my random thoughts and sharing as much as I love sharing them. Feel free to let me know what your dreams are and what road you're taking to get to them. :)

  And remember, never give up on your dreams. You can do it, and I'm here to cheer you on!

~Love and Hugs!! :)