A Year of Blogging: August 28, 2011

August 28 is 'Dream Day'. I couldn't find any information about it though, so I'm not sure if it's a day you are supposed to spend daydreaming, taking long naps and having crazy dreams, or if it's a day to think about your dreams, plans and hopes for the future. However, my alternative to write about was 'Race Your Mouse Day'. The object of this day is to race your computer mouse around the desktop while you are waiting for something to load. Not worthy of a full blog post. So Dream Day it is. A day to think about your hopes and dreams. As a little girl, I had so many dreams. I was going to marry the boy next door, who was also my best friend. He was going to be a famous engineer (with his degree from RPI), and I was going to be a lawyer (with my degree from Albany Law School). As I grew, and my world expanded, my dreams changed. I wanted to be a Marine Biologist saving dolphins from tuna nets. Then a truck driver. Then I decided I would be the next Connie Chung; anchoring the nightly news. There has been one dream that has stuck with me since fourth grade. No matter what other career path I saw myself taking, it always included being a published author. In high school, I had poems published in anthologies. That was a good start to my dream. The dream has sat dormant for the past couple of decades. Earlier this year, I helped a friend edit her second book. Her second! That old dream came clawing back, like the voice inside your head that you can't ignore. What was I waiting for? So I promised myself I'd get it in gear and do it. Finally write that book. The thing is, life keeps getting in the way. I am incredibly envious of my friend who seems to write and read all day long. If I didn't have to work, I'd have so much more time for my hobbies. I did actually force myself to sit down and start writing. I decided I'd write for 30 minutes each day. I'm sad to say, that lasted less than a week. Some nights I come home from work so exhausted I fall asleep on the couch after dinner. There's not enough energy to go around for all the things I want to do (how many times do I skip a day or two writing in this blog?). I need to be cloned. One clone can go to work, one can stay here and write. I haven't given up on my dream. I must keep trying. And I am. The dream just seems a little more out of reach than it did when I was so gung-ho about it two months ago. Yet, until I win the lottery and can quit my job, I have to find a balance between work and pleasure; between the present and my dreams. I need to figure out a way to bottle the energy Sydney has so that I have time for everything I need to do and everything I want to do. And when I do win the lottery, I'll be fulfilling another dream: buying a Great Camp in the Adirondacks and having a pack of beagles to serenade me! What a great inspiration that would be.