4/20 Something to think about...

[Billie]

"We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true."
Woodrow Wilson

We have great dreams but we are more than dreamers here we are doers! But like President Wilson says, you have to have dreams to make the a picture of what you want your future to look like--what you want to look like,

How do you dream? Do you dream of the day you will look like highschool pictures, hopefully not because if that was more than 5 years ago, kind of hard to get there. Do you dream of being healthy? Hopefully so, for that dream will encompass all the rest.

Encouraging ourselves to dream is very important, that is how goals are born I think, but following up on those dreams is the finest of all. Be a doer not just a dreamer.

Have a good day everyone!

[Gaelen]

Me...I definitely dream about being healthy again...healthy enough to finish Casey's titles while he's still healthy enough to earn them, healthy enough to go to at least one of my oldest nephew's pro lacrosse games in Chicago, healthy enough to go to his wedding in September, healthy enough to support nephew #2 through college, to finish the writing I want to do, healthy enough to consider getting a new dog at some point, healthy enough to buy the camping trailer I want and travel more for fun instead of treatments!

Steps to do that? sticking to this healthier way of eating, working to keep improving my strength through exercise...it's the only way that I know will work.

But some other, maybe more fun 'doer' things? Well, surgery was good news for my long-term future, so I am going to try to visit a teardrop trailer 'rally' at Fish Creek this summer (if it's on a non-treatment weekend.) I want to see some up close, and maybe make some contacts for getting one built if I decide that is really what I want to do. I promised myself years ago that when I was ready to retire (early), I'd get an RV and lease or sell my condo, and travel the country. I've refined that dream a lot (first to a trailer, and then to a pop-up.) Then I changed the dream to "if I beat the odds and beat this cancer, I'm getting a self-contained small trailer like a teardrop or an A-liner. I can handle these myself, they're even lower maintenance than a pop-up and more weather tight, and I'll be able to get back outdoors in earnest, even if limited to trips relatively close to home.

I know I have to keep working longer than I'd planned to keep my insurance and pay off Sloan-Kettering. I won't be able to retire at 52, but I decided it's time to go beyond doing the research, and actually see how these things work in real time. ;) If I can't make the rally, I'll pick a time to visit a guy in Albany who builds teardrops, and the local RV dealer who sells T@Bs and A-liners, and do my hands-on stuff one model at a time. Two years is long enough to have held this particular dream aside for other issues! If the docs are going to give me a decent prognosis, then I'm going to take full advantage of it!

[SherryJ]

Now, see, Pat? Two weeks ago, I wouldn't have known what a "teardrop" was... well, other than those things that spring out of my eyes! :p However, I wasn't sleeping one night/morning, and caught an RV show at 3 am... cute little things, and yes, I think even I could handle one! I can just see you doing that... go get 'em, Tiger!!! :D

Sherry

[gitfiddle]

Oh, Pat, I hear you! DH has got the bug to build a teardrop and the plans are available. I just don't know what I'd do with muddy shoes on a rainy day. Sherry, I've seen (probably) that same show twice in the last few years and I'm just drooling.

My dream, one of them at least, is to achieve the level of fitness I had before I was married (25 years ago). I'll never be a runner again, I know, but I can stay strong and reduce my "baggage".

Dreams change over the years. Life "happens" and you have to go with it. I liken it to swimming in a strong current and heading for shore. Sometimes you don't land where you planned! I just try to stay focused but flexible.

[cmcole]

Well, last year I had a dream and joined the military. That dream was "dashed" to pieces due to an injury.
Now, my goal (call it a dream if you wish) is to get healthy enough to enjoy my family without being a burden to myself and them.

Eating right and exercising are two primary methods I'm using to achieve this objective.

Setting an example to my children is important to me. I don't ever want to give up on things, which is why having to leave the military caused/causes me no end of consternation.

[SherryJ]

(((cmcole...)))

Sherry

[Gaelen]

Well, last year I had a dream and joined the military. That dream was "dashed" to pieces due to an injury. Now, my goal (call it a dream if you wish) is to get healthy enough to enjoy my family without being a burden to myself and them. Eating right and exercising are two primary methods I'm using to achieve this objective. Setting an example to my children is important to me. I don't ever want to give up on things, which is why having to leave the military caused/causes me no end of consternation.

Cmcole, it's really hard to let go of some things...believe me, the last couple years have meant a lot of letting go on this end. Learning to give yourself the permission to, as you put it, 'give up on things' is a process of maturity, too. It's not about 'you can't always get what you want' -- it's about recognizing when 'what you want' isn't what is necessarily best for you, or necessarily what you need at the time or maybe even ever.

Illness six years ago (an intracerebral hemorrhage) forced me to 'give up' actively teaching dog obedience and agility classes--something I'd done for 25 years, and which was my passion and consuming hobby. I am a good dog trainer and an excellent teacher for the human end of the leash, too. But the stroke forced me to slow down, take a look at what I really wanted from life, and re-prioritize. Now I use those skills in different areas, and I concentrate on training my own dog(s) instead of teaching a whole bunch of other people how to train their dogs. Casey the english cocker is happier to have my full attention, and Reuben the setter was ultimately placed with a wonderful couple who can physically challenge him more than I am consistently able to do. Now I use my training expertise one private student at a time, when and where I'm truly needed and on a schedule that leaves me more available to enjoy training and showing in the moment, as well as other things (like writing training advice and teaching plans for other people.)

It's just as important an example to set for your kids that sometimes you have to change course--and that a bend in the road doesn't have to be the end of the road unless you make it so. Take a look at the 4/21 'Something to think about' thread...it might really help with a fresh perspective on priorities.