Until now my blog post have all focused on not giving up on dreams; dream bigger, find strength, purpose and courage, but today I want to write about something completely different. I’m almost sure you have all read, Bloom where you are planted. My teacher had a poster like this hanging on the girls bathroom wall and every time I went past, I read it. I always thought, what if I have bigger dreams? Because I’ve always been a dreamer, I’ve always looked out to the fields and seen further, but not today.
Having big dreams are amazing! They’re fun to get lost in when you’re cleaning, they’re fun to schedule out, they’re fun to accomplish. And often times those big dreams turn out to be legendary. When people say those dreams will never come true, they do.
People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. -Rob Siltanen
Don’t ever give up on your big dream. It’s never to big if you’re determined enough to do it. But–you can probably guess what I’m going to say– don’t miss the small dreams. Don’t miss what happens everyday. Don’t miss these beautiful everyday moments. Don’t miss your child growing up, don’t walk pass your spouse in your busy schedule, don’t smile at a stranger and not look him in the eye. Every where in life we could maybe do something to change the world.
Have courage to stand up for your bullied friend in school–don’t fight the bully, but give your friend strength to walk away, with his head held high. In the halls, when you see someone struggling, stop and help them out. Whether it’s a teacher caring to many books or a student down on his luck. If someone dropped something in the store, stop and help pick it up. And don’t just walk away afterwards with a simple nod, smile at them directly. These little things are on the road to changing the world.
When we smile at someone directly after helping them, they might see love in our eyes that they hadn’t seen in a while. When we help a friend in need we might spread joy where we didn’t intend to. And sometimes the easiest thing we can do is to pray for people. Praying in a dark moment, talking to God, clinging to hope where non is near. Praying for our neighbor, for our brothers, for the librarian, for our grocer, for the man walking down the street, the students in a class room; a lot can be won with prayer.
I remember the younger me, I brightened the minute Dad got home. My brother and I would play in the living room, while Mom cooked dinner, then Dad drove onto the yard and the whole house lit up. I remember getting ready for school in the morning, with the smell of bacon sizzling, and eggs frying. And then running to the driveway, with a piece of bacon in my mouth, not wanting to miss the school buss. Or when we’d all sit on the porch listening to the rain drops hit the roof, watching the drops bounce off the sidewalk. If I turned my eyes I could see it soak into the grass and dribble off the Locust leaves.
I remember playing in the snow with my brother, or watching him build a swing set. Sometimes I’d come after it was down, he’d call me and say, “Maria, come look at the swing I made,” and honestly, sometimes I didn’t want to. I was in the middle of daydreaming. But I followed him, while his long blond hair jumped every time his feet hit the ground. When I got there I would “aw”, saying how cool it was. I’d take it for a spin and everything. They got cooler the older he got, sometimes they didn’t work the best, but he did make one really fun rope swing, and then we got it stuck in the tree.
At times I didn’t always cherish these things like I do now. I look back and think how I would love to go back and experience everything again. Even my younger teen years, I often miss. No, I wouldn’t want to go back there. But I still miss hanging with my girlfriends with nothing to do except eat up on sour candy and talk about teen-girl stuff. I even miss when my parents would have to drive me everywhere. Back then I couldn’t wait to drive myself, or even just ride with friends who could drive. But now I find myself wanting those days back. When we’d get dropped off at the plaza, and get picked up a few hours later . . . when we had nothing to worry about.
Only a short five years later everything changed without me knowing how fast life would turn around and I’d be exactly where I’d always wanted to be. Only to leave me wishing I was still where I couldn’t wait to leave. I wouldn’t truly want to trade my life, I love my life, but I realize now how much I loved my life then. And I never appreciated it enough.
Some of you who are reading this, are probably thinking, I can’t want to get out of here. Others who are reading this are probably thinking, I remember being where she is. Wherever we’re at in life we can easily miss our life right in front of us, focused on our bigger dreams. Our bigger dreams are important, to not only us, but to our Savior. But we shouldn’t miss the little opportunities in everyday life. We shouldn’t miss the widow who lives twenty minutes away, or the patient laying in a hospital bed, or Mom working in the garden. Lest we let our life slip by right in front of our eyes. So, dream small, dream big, dream in between life’s little moments.