We all have dreams: to start a business… volunteer in a third-world country… write a book…

Dreams are important.

And then God answered:
Write this.
Write what you see.
Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run.
– Habakkuk 2:2 (The Message)

I’ve recently learnt a valuable lesson — to not get too attached to my dreams. Let me tell you my story…

Life Passing By

At a recent retreat, we were shown a clip from the Disney/PIXAR movie UP.

Carl is an old man looking at his wife’s ‘My Adventure Book’. She had just passed away.

Carl and Ellie had dreamed of going to South America since they were children and all the adventures they would share together. They never got there.

Carl got to the page in the book that read “Stuff I Am Going To Do”. As he was going to close the book, feeling sad that these pages would be empty, he noticed a tip of paper poking out. As he turned the pages, they were full of photos of their life together.

These were the dreams and adventures Ellie had throughout her life, and Carl actually missed being ‘present’ because he was so focused on making Ellie’s South American dream come true.

I felt a little confronted.

While you’re consumed with your “dream” — putting every dollar away, studying hard and doing everything possible to make your dream happen, life is passing you by. Babies are born; children grow up and get married. Grandchildren come along, and if you’re not careful, you may miss it all!

Letting Go

“We are too dull-eyed to see that beauty’ ~ Rumi

Then, just when you’re within arm’s reach of that dream — life can be swept away.

Have those dreams and work toward them, but don’t be tempted to cling to them. Hold them gently.

What does it mean to hold your dream gently?

Write your dreams down and work towards achieving them. But realise the dreams and hopes you have for your life may not be yours to keep. And while you’re fighting hard to make these dreams come true, the real adventure that is yours, slips by.

By holding your dream gently, you’ll notice little sparks of gold lighting the path you’re meant to take.

Happy dreaming!

___

Originally published at Mum Daily.