Dream

I HAVE A DREAM

Famous words.  Incredible message.

When was the last time you really thought about your dream?

The events of last week sure got me thinking about mine in a different way.

Last Thursday, my friend, Lisa Flaxman, a friend and inspiration to many, passed away, after a terrible battle with breast cancer, having accomplished more in her cut-short life than most people can accomplish in 100 years. 

And on Tuesday, Barack Obama, also a friend and inspiration to many, became our first African American President, making incredible history, and bringing his own dreams, the dreams of Martin Luther King, and the dreams of countless others, to reality. 

Although these two events are as different as night and day, one extremely sad, the other incredibly joyful, I am struck with a common feeling within me when I think about all three of these dreamers.

They inspire me to want to be better, do more, and live my dreams. 

Lisa’s life was marked by service. Through her business,  Musikids, her non-profit organization, Musikares, and her book of poetry, Glances At Time, Lisa was the epitome of someone being guided by a call to service.  She dreamt of bringing music, poetry and compassion to the lives of others, and she took purposeful, intentional action toward these dreams.   

At her funeral, the Rabbi described her as someone who “didn’t hold back.”

When I had breakfast with Lisa last April, shortly before she got sick, I asked her how she managed to do so much, to BE so much.  I don’t remember her exact words (boy, I wish I did), but I remember the sentiment because it has stuck with me ever since. She told me that ever since her first bout with breast cancer 4 years earlier, she learned that she couldn’t take life for granted. She had to live each moment fully and in a meaningful way, and be the person she wanted to be NOW.

 Barack Obama, clearly, is not someone who’s waiting around till tomorrow to step into his dreams either.  Although the odds were against him from the start, he stepped boldly into his purpose, his vision, and his call to service.  Although he might have failed, and although he is up against what seems like some impossible challenges, he allows his dreams and intentions to be his guide, rather than fear or complacency. 

Interestingly, I received a Facebook message today (after much reluctance, I finally joined, and I must admit, I’m hooked!) from an old boyfriend who I hadn’t heard from in 20 years.  His message struck a cord and I think is relevant here:  “When…I got divorced…I needed to do something to pull myself out of the dumps and came up with a bucket list…20-30 things that I want to do before I die…I needed to have a life changing experience to make me do more for myself…”  (The “bucket list,” I believe comes from the movie of the same name, about 2 terminally ill men who make a list of things they want to do before they “kick the bucket”).

I was struck by his list (the parts he shared with me)…the simplicity of some of his dreams and the boldness and courage involved in others. I was struck by what he had already accomplished, what he was currently working on accomplishing, and what he has yet to do.  I was struck, most of all, by the purposefulness and intention this list seemed to inspire. 

I love this idea.

Why wait, though, until we face a life-changing experience or a wake-up call? Why not start now?

Why not create your own bucket list, to concretize your dreams? A bucket list reminds us that we may not live forever and that life isn’t going to wait for us to get our butts into gear and get moving.  A bucket list reminds us to live our lives ON PURPOSE, rather than getting caught in the minutia of our day-to-day existence.

A bucket-list, or some other way of documenting our dreams, helps us internalize a little bit of Lisa and Barack and Martin Luther King…and all the others we so deeply admire who had the courage to live intentionally, purposefully and in the service of their dream.

So guess what I’m going to do?  I’m going to make my Bucket List, and as personal as it feels, I am going to post it in my next blog.  I would ABSOLUTELY love to hear from you. What’s your dream? What’s on your bucket list? (don’t worry, I won’t post it unless you give me permission to).

Don’t wait…your dream has the power not just to transform your life, but the lives of countless other people.  As  one of my mentors, Baeth Davis, just reminded me, Martin Luther King’s message  was not just about HIS dream. It inspired and supported others in living theirs.