How To Stay Optimistic When Fear Takes Over
Hey, you with the big dream,
I see you.
I am you.
It’s easy to wonder if our dreams will ever become real. Becoming a published writer and a mom for the first time in my forties feels like a long shot.
But I won't give into my doubts, and neither should you.
Looking closely, I can see that my life is built on dreams from my past. And I’m certain yours is, too.
The dog that is on the couch was planted in my life thanks to silent prayers from my 7-year-old heart, yearning for a loyal best friend.
My husband, Adam, who is unloading dishes from the dishwasher one floor down, was summoned by my daydreams as a teenager.
Look for a man who is ‘chocolate covered broccoli’, my sister used to say; A man that nourishes you like broccoli and delights you like chocolate.
He is all of the things my teenage self conjured: handsome, emotionally present, a good communicator, so kind and fun, but also extremely reliable.
We married just two years ago after my first marriage ended. I didn't know that I would ever marry again.
Our home, with its intoxicating view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, was a wish sealed by my 30-something heart and set aside for ‘someday’ when I’m old and gray. Who knew that day would come as an early Christmas gift last year.
I cannot let these things become unseen and unacknowledged graces, just because holding new dreams casts a long shadow.
“While I think of it, let me paint a thank you on my palm.”
In the words of the poet, Anne Sexton, 'while I think of it, let me paint a thank you on my palm'.
I believe that the sweet solicitations held in my heart, with a regular dose of hope, faith, and inspired action, have a way of rising like the phoenix out of the ashes.
Dear friend, you may be inclined to think that ‘I’m the lucky one’ and your life has never been touched by such grace.