"Oh to be young and have dreams!" I exclaimed melodramatically, because how else does one make such a claim?
It was after Natalie, the little girl my mom looks after, announced that she was going to be a professional soccer player. She said it with such conviction, as if there were no way it wouldn't come true.
My sister Shea decided to interrupt my self-loathing. "You have dreams!" she said indignantly.
And I had to stop and remember that yes I do have dreams. Lots of them! And what am I doing in my pursuit to achieve them?
...
That big nothing was hard to swallow.
Days later I found myself listening to Tracy Chapman's Fast Car on repeat. And I kept hearing her melodic voice crooning, "I had a feeling I could be someone." In part because that line repeats. But also because I was having the SAME FEELING. And I think that's what a dream feels like.
So here's to getting back on track and on the saddle. Falling back on the proverbial wagon that people always seem to be falling off of. My first step in the right direction, of pursuing my dream: Find a project that excites me, and share it with the world.
So I made this linoleum carving of the state of Ohio. And I marched into Igloo Letterpress in Worthington, Ohio and I committed it to ink and paper. And I made 100 copies.
I felt the excitement of my dream, and it manifested itself on the surface of my body in the form of a maniacal smile. I could not stop thinking about the prints and the dream and my next step: share it with the world.
So I ordered some packaging and I researched the cost of postage and I consulted my boyfriend's finance-savvy brain about things I don't understand like spreadsheets.
And to my excitement, I set up shop! Glasses Half-Full is officially in business! (www.mollystiebler.com/shop) I am young and I have a dream! I had a feeling I could be someone! When the skeptical voice in my head known as Doubt kicks in, I quickly dismiss him. Sure, I only have one item for sale. And maybe no one buys a single one of them except for like my mom, who does so because well, she's my mom.
Pushing all of that aside...the point is this: I do have dreams. I have lots of them. And I have doubts. Lots of those too. But I think that dreams come with a convenient sidekick known as Drive. And Drive is enough to silence the scary doubts. If I were to make an equation (hey, look at me Drew) then it would look something like this:
(Dream + Drive) — Doubt = Dream coming true.
(Sue me for loving alliteration. Sue me for listening to Fast Car again.)
So my challenge to you is this: you got a fast car. Is it fast enough so you can [fly away...insert personal dream here] You gotta make a decision. Start tonight or live and die this way.
Thanks for the drive, Tracy.