The Dreamer’s Dream

“Few will have the greatness to bend history, but each of us can work to change a small portion of the events, and then the total- all of these acts- will be written in the history of this generation. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a [wo]man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, [s]he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” - Robert F. KennedyOne of my most memorable moments while studying abroad in South Africa was standing atop of Elsie’s Peak in Fish Hoek, a city just south of central Cape Town. Two of my roommates and I had taken the train down to its end in Simon’s Town where we hiked around, explored some more, stayed in a hostel, and then traveled back north to our home. On our way back, we stopped in Fish Hoek, which after having had read about, we wanted to wander about. We looked up some suggested hikes, found Elsie’s Peak, grabbed our backpacks holding all our essentials for the weekend, and ventured up the peak without a map in hand or any idea of where this trail would lead us. To our surprise, it lead us amid the most beautiful scenery- my roommate Matt even found a rock that resembled Pride Rock from the Lion King, upon which he cradled his backpack in the same way that Mufasa cradled baby Simba. We continued through untouched greenery, majestic rocks, exotic flowers, and eventually found ourselves atop of the mountain. We continued to what we could see was the mountain’s edge to behold a perfect panorama of the Western Cape and the sprawling bay, spilling out into the vast ocean that seemed to go on for an infinity’s end. We were amazed and struck with wonder as we beheld the most beautiful and peaceful picture of nature that we had seen before. My heart was full as I was captivated in a moment’s time with the beauty of the world before me. To this day, that moment stands in time as the single moment that took my breath away and allowed my dreams to roam free. That is when my mind and soul felt the most free they had ever been to dream, to wander, and travel beyond my vision of the ocean’s end. Throughout this series in which we prepare our hearts and minds to grasp the vast opportunity that this new year awaits to give us, we have explored what it means to reflect on what these past years have taught us and to rest in what the present moments have to offer us. This week, we are venturing in what it means to dream again, to envision what we can offer this world, and to rediscover our purpose, influence, and inspiration. By reflecting on how we have grown and what we have learned through past experiences, struggles, lessons, triumphs, and rewards, we will be enlightened to discover our passions and rediscover the deepest desires and dreams of our hearts. Similarly, by resting in what these present moments have to offer us, and what they are preparing for us, we will be empowered to use our strength, talents, passions, and beliefs to pursue our dreams beyond what we could imagine of their fullest potential. When we realize the inherent value of our worth and the undeniable power in who we have come to be, we will believe that we are not only able to pursue our dreams, but to see those dreams become reality. In that moment that we enable ourselves to rediscover our dreams, we will be able to envision things for not only our own futures, but for the future of the world- dreams untouched by any precedent before us, and dreams so unique to our own character that we become the distinct driving force behind them. Once we believe in this power of ours, we will begin to take the steps to assure that we are constantly re-envisioning and rediscovering dreams for ourselves and for the vast world beyond us. For me, that experience on that mountaintop stands as the pillar of my imagination and of the basin that holds my wildest dreams and my purest hopes for the world. But, I am not limited to flying halfway across the world just to experience that mountaintop revelation. Rather, I am able to access that same emotion, that same moment that took my breath away, and that same powerful essence that freed my heart and mind to travel to the ocean’s end at any moment of any day. I can access that revelation that freed my dreams beyond the confines of my own doubt because I had experienced it before. The same goes for any of us. The truth is, each of us have had empowering and captivating moments, and because we have once experienced them before, we can draw up those invigorating experiences, that breath of life, that unparalleled inspiration in order to activate ordinary moments of inspiration. There are moments awaiting us each day with which we can become inspired and empowered to live out our dreams and our purpose. We must only be aware and open to looking for them in rather unexpected places. We must be intentional in alloting ourselves time to daily rediscover our dreams and remember our purpose and influence. For some of us, that may be surrounding ourselves with friends that share our ideals, our dreams, and empower us to affect change throughout the world. For others of us, that may be finding time in solitude, amid the world’s rawest and most beautiful natural wonders. Still, for some of us, that may be embarking on adventures, placing ourselves in unfamiliar territories, in unchartered waters, and resting upon the faith of our strength. Every day, we have moments to re-envision our purpose and influence and to rediscover our dreams. We must only allow those moments to be revealed, actively seek out those moments, and remind ourselves of prior experiences in which we have stood in awe to the freeing of our own imagination. In this next year, it is my hope that these moments are not just found in single life-changing experiences, but in the ordinary, almost mundane instances of our every-day lives. I hope that this rediscovery, this breath of invigorating life, becomes our normal, our habit. As we stand at the threshold of this new year, I hope we learn to rediscover our dreams throughout our weekly dispositions, our morning routines, our workday grind, and our nighttime slumbers, when we free our imaginations to dream all over again.