Time to vacuum!

Today, I read this incredible quote written in a fictional story .....

When dreams turn to dust, it's time to vacuum!

and my first thought was "whoa!!" The story involves a woman who's life changed drastically -- she turned 50, her husband left her, and she had no idea what to do with her life. So she packed up and drove from Texas to New Jersey, found a cute little town and thought to herself... "what the heck, I love to quilt, I should open up a quilting shop." And that's what she did. After the newness wore off, it was tough making ends meet; and to top it off, she got breast cancer. It was in a moment of self pity that her best friend told her that line. Of course, that was a turning point in the story, and things are getting progressively better.... (now I just have to finish the story!)

And I got to thinking about that line.... How many of us have had dreams that went zzzzpppttt and turned into dust? I'm sure it's easy to think of the obvious ones, the kind where as a kid we wanted to be a teacher, a fireman, or policeman. But what of the other dreams that tend to drag us down? Not the really big dreams... but the little ones, the day to day kind of dreams, the wishes that never happen? When do we face reality and know that they won't happen, so we can choose new dreams?

I know that we should never stop chasing dreams; when life knocks us down, we should get back up and continue, create a new dream, and go after it. But some days, its harder to be the one who jumps up instantly and gets busy with life (damn this getting older stuff! I'm not as young as I used to be!)

And harder still: finding that new dream to replace the old one (that never goes away). I thought I'd found it once. And I let it build in my mind; and when nothing came of it, I reached a wall of acceptance, finally, and let go of it. Mind you, I reached the wall; I'm still not over the wall and on the other side. Every day can be a struggle. Which of course, can often dredge up that dream. Even subtle changes in your daily routine, maybe the way you drive home, or the pattern you have when you get there, can make all the difference in seeing things in a new way, a new light. So if you're stuck in a pattern that isn't going anywhere, try a few subtle changes so you can look at things in a new way, and find a new dream!

HUGS to everyone!