Dream

Yesterday was a beautiful day, so my girls and their second cousins headed outside for some much needed fresh air. They played for a while with hula hoops and balls but eventually decided to climb a tree on the edge of the property. My eight year old and her cousin hopped up into the fork of the tree, but my 6 year old wanted more of a challenge.

Alayna is my hippie child. She loves to dress up in frills and jewels, but she's happiest during the summer when she can run barefoot through the grass. Most nice days you will find her swinging or meandering down the street in search of rocks, sticks, or other treasures. She loves to pick "wildflowers," so watch your landscaping if you live in our neighborhood!

She spent a few minutes climbing up what we always called "a good climbing tree" but even the challenge of the taller branches wasn't what she was after. She propped herself in that elevated perch and surveyed her options. It didn't take long. She spotted a tree trunk left at the back edge of the yard by a casualty of a storm that had felled the tree that once stood there. A quick jump out of the tree later, and she was off and running across the yard to greet her new challenge.

The stump was tall and had few footholds. She walked around it and searched for options. She was determined. At the base of the other trees in the yard, she found some thick branches. One by one, she dragged them to the trunk. After each one, she balanced atop them to see if it raised her up enough to grab hold of the top of the trunk.

My sister and I were standing guard in case of injury or torn dress. We asked her if she wanted to abandon her climb, but she said simply:
"I'm not going to give up. Miss Suppa (her teacher) said if I really want to learn something, I have to keep trying...I can't give up!" Nicely, we explained that she could modify her goal and use the (much lower) trunk just a few feet away...or let us lift her. She just replied "that's not what I want to learn! I want to climb this one!"

And she did. A few minutes later, she sat atop the trunk grinning, raising her hands up in a cheer, and letting out a loud whoop! I snapped her picture to include in her vacation journal and as I did, I noticed the word on her dress.

DREAM

As adults, do we forget our dreams, or do we still chase them? How much effort do we put into them? And do we let others discourage us from what we really want?

If we really want something, we should chase that dream. We should make those goals. We should develop a plan that sacrifices nothing from our priorities. Our plan may change from time to time, but that should be our own doing. Time changes what we want in life, but life or time should not impede what we want. If you need help organizing your goals to get there, look for help.

NEVER GIVE UP

Live the life you were meant to live. Love your life and do what makes you happy. And always be you.

Find your tree and climb it.