Living the Dream – It’s an Everyday Journey Not a One-Time Decision
It’s Friday, I’m outside on my deck enjoying the sun…finally. As much as I love Portland, the rain gets to me; I need the sun once in a while, so when it comes, I turn into this sun-zombie where I wander out in it and just stand there with my arms out moaning….Ahhhhh. The funny thing is when it rains, I want to go do things like go downtown, shop, check out local bookstores, people watch, whatever, but when the sun comes out, I don’t want to really do anything but enjoy it, soak it up, be as lazy as a cat on a sunny windowsill.
As I sit here contemplating this article, I can’t help but think I’m the luckiest person on the planet. I live in this great town with everything at my disposal, I work for myself, read books, talk about books, plot book events and book activities. I am livin’ the dream, Baby!
But, why didn’t anyone tell me that my dream was not going to be just one event but a real journey? Living the dream doesn’t mean everything is coming up roses. In fact, I think it is almost the opposite. Your dream challenges you. When you live your dream, you have to choose that dream every day. You have to make decisions every day that affect that dream. If you have a clear understanding of what you want and where you want to go, it’s easier to see the right choices in front of you but it’s not always that clear. You have to make tough decisions, decisions that aren’t pleasant or could change someone else’s course. Just because you have your dream in your hands right now doesn’t mean it will stay that way.
I’m constantly surprised by the options that present themselves and then having to determine if the choice I make/made is staying true to that dream. Hopefully, the end result will sustain that dream; keep it alive and where I want it to be. I thought I would just be all fat, dumb and happy reading a good book on a sunny day for the rest of my life!
There’s so much more to come and how we determine our next step is how our dream will play out…good or bad. My dream is only just beginning. Every day is living that dream and making it what it will be tomorrow and by golly, I’m determined to stay true to it!
So, dear Readers, get out there, take that chance and live your dream, make those decisions and don’t look back!
Readers Unite!
M. Chris Johnson
Editor-in-Chief