I am an expert on dreams. I say this with conviction because I have had so many, and have made many come true. My favourite thought is “someday I am going to…”, and then finish the statement with a glorious idea that resonates inside my heart. Heart, that’s right, dreams are manifestations of love and gifts of the soul. The resonance is what is important because providence, if you are lucky, will tune into this and help out!
“What then”, you ask, “does an old Chevy Suburban with a flame-emblazoned paint-job have to do with having or realizing a dream?”.
The answer is….everything! This romantic idea, albeit, silly and plain to some, started out as a dream. As a kid I dreamed of having a car with a hot-rod paint job but as time went by the dream lay somewhat dormant, almost forgotten until two decades later, with kids of my own, I bought this old Suburban and then like lightning in the night that old dream flashed into my eyes and I knew it was time to capitalize on it.
I asked my young boys, all under 7 years of age if they thought the Suburban needed zebra stripes or a flaming, hot-rod-style paint job! Obviously they choose the latter and with a bit of paint, masking tape and an artistic flourish, voila! the deed was done and the dream was fulfilled and made more impact than my 8 year old self could have imagined. The only people more surprised were the neighbours who were carefully watching what the weirdo on Empress Ave was up as he sanded, masked and painted his masterpeice in the driveway!
I was proud of that car and I was giddy (still) that I had revived this old, romantic, childhood dream, as mundane as it was and so simple to accomplish. My wife has memories of it now too, because it was her grocery-getter and errand runner with the kids and I don’t want to brag, but it backfired every now and then (as if it needed extra attention) like the car in the movie “Uncle Buck”. Its been years since the “Burbanator” took our family on adventures, but its legend and story live on.
The point is: I have many dreams, a bundle, a lot, and it’s fun to have them. To come up with them and to capitalize on them when the time is right takes surprisingly little effort. The time will not come for every dream, but for some, it will. The odds are in your favour if you have a lot. Taking time to share and celebrate a dream when it is within tasting range makes it all the sweeter and spreads the wealth of its bounty.
Dreams can be as simple and intimate or as huge and complicated as one can imagine, but what they must have in common is a resonance in the heart. The secret is to have lots and to celebrate the ones that come true, big or small. Sharing them is sharing your heart and keeps you on the path of love, within the reach of providence.
Being fixated on achieving a big end-all and be-all type of dream that takes the focus off the little things in life is a big gamble…you may not realize that big dream and be left with regret and bitter emptiness.
When I’m working up to some really big dream, I’m sure to pad it up a bit with lots of romantic, satisfying little dreams, or better yet to resurrect some from my childhood and let providence take on some of the work. My satisfaction in life need not be tied to any one dream, whatsoever, and neither should yours.
Dream big, dream small, but dream with your heart and dream lots.
Doug McColl BA, BEd, Env. Science
-Nature and forest therapy guide, environmental educator, artist, performer. event creator, builder and facilitator. Mark Twain fan. But mostly: thinker, dreamer, warrior, champion of life, friend, father and husband.
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