I can remember always being the kid
with my head floating not in the
clouds, but far above the clouds. I
thought I could fly. For real. And
don’t think I didn’t try several times. I
know it sounds naïve, but in those
days my measurement of success
only depended on my joy of the
adventure.
I spent the better part of my days in
the front of the mirror in my
childhood home dreaming. That
mirror was a doorway into an
adventure. When I peered through
its shiny surface, I could travel to
exotic locations, meet extraordinary
people and have the grandest
adventures.
You see, I knew then that dreams
weren’t solely for nighttime slumber.
No ma’am. The universe let me in on
a secret early in my life. The best
dreams a person can dream are the
dreams that come during the full
light of day.
In those dreams, I was invincible.
Nothing was impossible for me. I was
ready to change the world. I
dreamed I could make a difference. I
believed my voice, my thoughts and
my opinions mattered. I believed
somehow, someway I could use it to
change my environment.
While I’m grateful for the capacity to
dream, I’m even more grateful I grew
up in an environment that cultivated,
and didn’t stifle, my fragile, yet
powerful dreams.
I spent the better part of
my days in the front of the
mirror in my childhood
home dreaming.
That mirror was a doorway
into an adventure.
When I peered through its
shiny surface, I could travel
to exotic locations, meet
extraordinary people and
have the grandest
adventures.
As I travel speaking, I am
disheartened as I look into the sad,
discouraged eyes of women and see
that the dream they held close to
their hearts in their youth has
dwindled and sometimes even died.
I can tell by the slump in their
shoulders and their slow purposeless
gait, that they have given up...all
because they never had the
opportunity to meet three people.
Though I didn’t realize it then, I now
know, that every dreamer needs to
meet three people. Not an army, not
even a crowd.
Just. Three. People.
JASMINE'S PLACE
9