Resolve in 2012 to make that dream a reality

We all dream.

Many have high hopes, dreams and wishes for the kids, the grandkids and maybe still for ourselves. But taking the time (or having the money) to realize the dream may be more akin to a fictional nightmare, than a dream come true.

One way to achieve it in your lifetime is by taking one step at a time, one day at a time, and never giving up. Dreams do come true. Whatever the dream or wish for yourself and whatever the obstacle, the American dream is possible.

When I think of making dreams come true, my 70-year-old student in the mid 1980s comes to mind. Miss Dabney had recently retired as a teacher for the blind and was trying out her dream vocation that required being able to see. She wanted to get a bachelor of fine arts degree (in visual arts) from Mercer University (in Macon, Ga.). I’ve told her story many times — how she told one of my football majors — that, if nothing else, she was getting her degree to put her new achievement (her new degree) on her tombstone.

Dabney was an inspiration for the ages. Her second degree, her second life, was to finally live out her dream as a legitimate artist “if it killed her.”

I’ve seen that same determination in students of all ages in the 30-some years I’ve been teaching. As long as we are working on our dream, we live a much fuller life. It’s pretty easy for teachers to understand that concept. We see it every day in the classroom.

It’s especially true for those in the arts. Just being able to do our medium (writing, music, dance, theater or visual arts) means we never work again. We live the dream and no longer chase it.

The American dream is opportunity. Staying with the pursuit means never giving up, and like Miss Dabney said, “even if it kills you.”

Many students feel like they’re dead at the end of every semester, but they get right back up and plug away because they want to finish the race and get their degree. They are chasing their dream. They will achieve it because they keep working on it despite roadblocks.

And there will always be roadblocks. That’s also a part of life. Perhaps it’s the most important part of success. If there are no roadblocks, then there are no problems to solve. We learn best, remember longer, through the problems we’ve solved in life by overcoming our mistakes and failures. They make us stronger.

It’s from that turmoil that new inventions come and we grow stronger. It’s not forgotten if we work it out. We know solutions can be applied in new ways to new problems. And we plod on.

Some dreamers create a “bucket list” to achieve before the inevitable. That keeps the dream alive and well. The old saying about wanting to go “with my boots on” is admirable. Staying active and believing in your new venture is so important.

Resolves of 2012 might include weight loss, learning a new language or even going back to school.

It may be the best decision you ever make. If you do, be sure to add a class for fun — one that you’ve always pushed away for the more practical. It will be the class that carries you through —making your dream a reality.

If anyone has an item for this column, please send to Sharon Cox, PO Box 1559, Jamestown, ND 58402-1559.

Tags: sharon cox, diversions