What If Dreams Come True?

Have you ever had a dream come true?

The other day, I had a strange inkling to go through my childhood things. In my old room there were several boxes of books, toys, and a random assortment of items that upon seeing them, brought a sweeping wave of nostalgia. Most prominently among my things I saw my childhood journal, and was unable to resist cracking it open.

Lo and behold, seventeen years ago, I wrote excitedly in my journal that I was now a published author. At that time my first book, a short fantasy titled The Secret of the Dragon, had been submitted by my mother to the local library in their “written by kids” section, and was now available on their shelf. This section was something I honestly did not remember existed until now. But upon reading that journal entry it came flooding back; that little library two miles from my house, with its small shelf in the back with the spiral-bound, laminated, or simple stapled-together groups of pages that held each child’s imagination and pride.

And among them was my book, written about two bold princesses who discovered a seemingly dangerous but misunderstood dragon and befriended him, who then helped them save the prince and became heroines of the land. The princesses were based on myself and my best friend, of course. The pages weren’t laminated but it had been put together at the copy store so it had a hard plastic cover, front and back, spiral-bound, with a shiny title page showing a hand-drawn picture of the dragon.

For me, in all my starry-eyed innocence, this was a dreamy start. I had already “published” a book and they had put it in the library for all to see! Would anyone read it? Almost definitely not. But I was ten; what more could I ask for?

Now, almost two decades later, I am amazed by that journal entry. I had been so excited, so proud, so utterly determined for the future. It was my dream to be a writer, and by golly I was off to a good start! Nothing was going to get in my way.

Well, things did get in the way for a while. Somewhere along my life journey I started growing up, and my life took many a twist and turn. I think dreams sometimes have a way of fading into the background when life gets in the way, and then circling back around when we are ready to hear them again. But they are always there.

I wrote many works just for myself over the years, but my dream of being an author became a back-burner idea, always something to work on later. But last year I managed to rediscover my true passion and get down to business, and… I started this blog.

While it’s true that I haven’t published any other books yet (or arguably even a real one!), the root of my true dream wasn’t necessarily fame or fortune. It was to be a writer, to share my story, to add value to the world, and to hopefully touch other people’s lives.

I have things in the works, hopefully a book or two, but really I just want to write because I love it. And because I know I can help other people relate. I have a burning need to get what’s in my head out onto paper. That passion is still there, and going strong. My dream is more alive than ever, and I’m definitely not done yet.

What is your dream?