Let me let you in on a secret, one they don’t print in the manuals or the morning papers. It’s a truth so simple, so powerful, that it can feel like finding the hidden key to a forgotten garden:
People believe what they want to believe. And this,
alone, explains what they have or don’t have.
Let that simmer for a moment. Does that make your entire
flipping day or what?!
It means the world is not a fixed, immovable sculpture, but
a lump of the most wonderful, pliable clay. And you, my friend, with a lifetime
of fingerprints upon your hands, are the master potter. You have seen dreams
take shape and you have seen some fall away. But the workshop is still open.
The wheel is still spinning. The clay is still moist and waiting.
Some will tell you that the time for dreaming is behind you.
They will speak of retirement as a finish line. But they have forgotten the
oldest magic of all: Dreams come true, if you believe. That’s what they
do. The only variable is when. And my goodness, what is
time to a soul that has already collected so much of it? You have the profound
advantage of knowing that "when" is a flexible, friendly concept, not
a demanding tyrant.
Now, you have a choice of two paths to your dream. Think of
it as two different recipes for the same magnificent cake.
There is the recipe for delay. It reads like this: Resist the
first step. Attach yourself to every reason it might not
work. Insist that it’s too late. Deny your
own capabilities. Stop before you begin. Second-guess every
single idea. Whine about the obstacles. Argue with
your own inspiration. Defend your limitations. Protest that
it’s just not the way things are done. Cry over spilled milk
from decades ago. Struggle mightily against the current. And
finally, ask others when you already know the answer yourself.
It’s a tiresome, familiar dance, isn’t it? You’ve probably
seen this recipe before. It makes a very dry, unsatisfying cake.
But then, there is the other way.
This recipe is for the nimble of heart. It goes like
this: Visualize your dream so clearly you can smell the
sawdust of your new workshop or taste the tomatoes from your garden. Pretend you
are already there, just for a moment, and feel the joy of it. Prepare one
small thing today, buy the seeds, call about the class, check out the
book. Dodge the naysayers, even the one in your own
head. Roll with the small setbacks. Serpentine! Zig
when they expect you to zag. Be unpredictable in your pursuit of joy.
Do not waver over intentions. A dream either is,
or it isn’t. Alternate your approaches. If the paintbrush
feels heavy, try the pen. If the wood is stubborn, try the clay. Release
your doubts like old balloons, watch them float away and
disappear. Show up, even when nothing happens. Sit in the
chair, look at the garden plot, hold the instrument. Your presence is a
promise. And most importantly, keep giving thanks in advance. Thank
the universe for the beautiful painting not yet finished, for the thriving
garden not yet harvested, for the melody not yet perfectly played. Gratitude is
the fertilizer for dreams.
You need to believe in yourself not with the brash
confidence of youth, but with the quiet, unshakable certainty that comes from
having survived, adapted, and loved through decades. You have already built a
life. You have already navigated storms. What is a dream but the next, most
delightful project?
So, what will it be? The garden, the novel, the reconciled
friendship, the learned language, the volunteer project that changes a life.
That dream isn’t a ghost from your past; it’s a patient friend waiting in your
future, tapping its watch with a smile, wondering what on earth is taking you
so long to arrive.
The workshop is open. The clay is in your hands. Believe,
and begin.
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