Big Dream Coming True
On dreaming boldly, living fully, and beginning year two
The wildest dreams have to start somewhere…
Maybe it is just a fuzzy image of a distant future.
Perhaps it is a burning desire you see clearly.
Sometimes we hold dreams close to our hearts for decades, fearful to share them or uncertain of ourselves. Other times, we bubble over with excitement, sharing exuberantly before all the details are figured out.
Dreams remind us we are alive.
They spark hope on the darkest days and fill us with vitality as we walk toward them. They speak to us of magic, possibility, and the extraordinary.
And I am feeling the extraordinary in this moment.
I simply cannot believe that I have just begun my second year of school.
An entire year already of grad school.
Big dream coming true!
As I sat for finals at the end of April and worked on final projects, I was shocked that an entire year was nearly over. It didn’t seem possible that I had been in school for 12 months. That I had completed so much… so fast.
I had envisioned this time as entirely arduous, the task of achieving academic success so monumental that there was no way the first year would be completed in the blink of an eye.
Yet here I am, starting year two of my Master’s in Mental Health Counseling.
53 years on this planet has taught me a few things, especially about dreaming big…
The reality is, life is so very short.
I get this one miraculous life.
I have learned that tiptoeing through it is unrewarding.
I much prefer living close to the edge… boldly, arms spread wide, heart and mind open to the possibility that things might actually work out if I take that first step.
The night of my last class, our professor invited us to write a letter to ourselves with the wisdom we have now to the version of ourselves when we first started the program.
I adored this exercise!
Reading my letter again this morning, what I wanted my fledgling student self to remember was the power of trusting my intuition. Letting the wisdom of my heart lead me, knowing that Spirit had clearly guided me to this path and had a plan for me.
To release the pressure valve early. Let this be a chapter filled with curiosity and joy.
One filled with support from incredible peers and special connections along the way.
My care and concern for the greater good of people and humanity is what shines through. I am a natural learner and excel in unique ways. Each of these things will be a resource during this adventure and, equally, a gift to be treasured.
What was revealed to me in this process was how much I have grown during this last year.
The shedding of arbitrary expectations.
Coming home to some essential aspects of myself that I have danced with for quite some time…
The part of me that truly believes in living fully and wholeheartedly.
Part of this homecoming has been enjoying things again that I had stopped making time for.
Camping adventures being one of them.
During my almost two-week break between spring and summer terms, my beloved and I hitched up my sweet little A-frame camper, Jewel, which I have sorely missed using, and headed to New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia.
Immersing myself in the wilds of West Virginia was nourishing for my entire being.
Days and days of forest canopy filled with newly blooming rhododendron, mountain laurel, and wildflowers splashing pinks and yellows wildly across the vibrant green spring foliage.
Hiking along endless walls of stacked stones dropping down into the deep gorge, the river rushing below.
Sunbathing on warm boulders in the river basin, feet soaking in the cool, clear water.
The thrill of rafting through rapids, the incredible peace of floating through calmer stretches, and the rush of joy jumping from a massive boulder into the middle of the river, suspending any rules on what we should or shouldn’t be doing at “our age.”
Slow mornings snuggled up in bed, my beloved sleeping late, me sipping tea and devouring a wonderful novel.
Nights by the campfire.
It felt so good to come home rested and energized, excited to begin this next year of school.
I still can’t believe I am actually living right in the middle of one of my wildest dreams.
Early in that first year, when things felt hard, on a particularly vulnerable day, I shared with a friend how I was feeling.
Her reply was that it probably wasn’t worth what it was costing my family or me. She thought what I was doing felt a bit selfish.
I sat with her words for a few days.
Did they have merit?
Was this worth it?
After honest self-reflection, I had to let her opinion go.
The cost of a dream unfilled, a life only partially lived, feels much more expensive.
My success rate for taking chances so far is 100%.
Things don’t always go the way I envision, but that has simply taught me to be flexible in my dreaming… not to stop dreaming with all my heart.
So here I go… year two of becoming a mental health counselor.
Where this path ultimately leads, I am not entirely sure.
But I know this much for certain…
A fully lived life will always be worth the risk of dreaming big.
An Invitation
What dream still calls to you?
Where might you be underestimating what is still possible for your life?
What feels worth taking a chance on?
What part of yourself are you coming home to lately?
What currently fills you with vitality?
I would love to hear from you in the comments below or reach out to me in a private message or email.
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This is beautiful, Keri. Thank you. The New River Gorge area is one of my favorite places. Did you know that it's just 80 miles from where your grandmother grew up?