A Circle K on the moon...

Growing up my dad always held the record for the most unique and bizarre ideas of anybody in our family. My brother, Jake would probably disagree (he was a close second on the "what the heck are you talking about" scale) but I still think my dad was king of odd tangents.

I can remember many a dinners discussing Circle K's on the moon and sentences that consisted of,"yeah and then...and then...and then!" With each "and then" getting more and more insane then the last. Perhaps it was the beer talking or just the release from a long stressful day, but my dad always had a way of turning a normal conversation into a full on dream land.

I loved when he did this. And I would jump at the chance to add to the list of incredible "and thens." The older I got the more creative (or more insane) my thoughts and ideas became. Until eventually my and thens" took a back seat to my actual dreams. Or shall I say they turned into more attainable/ less bizarre "and thens." Instead of Circle K's on the moon I dreamed of dancing on Broadway, writing a book, writing for a magazine etc. What had started as a fun, dinner time escape, if you will, quickly turned into the only way I knew how to think.

Every thought was incredible. Every journey through my dreams and others dreams was invigorating. I began to dream so much that I often didn't feel real. Most days were spent swimming and sifting through the endless possibilities my mind allowed me to create. It's quite incredible, really, where your brain allows you to visit.

In my dreams I've backpacked through Europe, rescued survivors in Haiti, uncovered corruption and gone on to win a Nobel Peace Prize, re-built a city, owned my own business, written a screenplay, danced as if my life would end if I didn't, fully adopted my creative side, fully adopted my analytical side, become a psychologist, solved a crime, been in a crime, won the lottery, been in a movie, adopted a child, opened an animal shelter, been the strong woman I know I am, let go of my selfish ways, got my doctorate, cried and laughed with an intensity I know not, and on and on and on.

Some may say not to waste time dreaming but to just do. And for the most part I agree. There's a sign at my work that says, "ideas without action are only dreams." It's true. I cannot argue it but we cannot completely discredit dreams. Without them we don't have ideas. And sometimes even if they cannot be fulfilled or will not, they can still take you to a place you never knew existed. Creating a dream is like traveling the depths of your soul, finding your place, your purpose and your passion. It's an incredible journey in itself.

And because of that I will continue to create dreams. And I will fight to fulfill most of them. But some, I know, are meant to stay forever in the walls of my imagination, inspiring me like no book or pep talk or rally can.

Keep dreaming.