A dream is not about becoming a new person. A dream is about relishing who you are right now, underneath all of the pain, noise, and circling thoughts.
I loved this, and I think about this so much in my own life.
A couple years ago, I moved to a smaller city in the Midwest after being in SF for a while and getting increasingly disillusioned with being only around people in tech who talked about how much their stock options were worth.
In the first year I moved out here, I reconnected with a college acquaintance. She’d always wanted to be a singer/songwriter, but had sort of stopped. The first year, she put an ad on Craigslist for a band. Within a year, she wrote a small EP and did their first show. (With a broken mic). 2 years on, they’ve recorded a full killer album, sold out shows, and are going on tour. She has a reasonable but not career focused day job, a nice boyfriend, a small house, and a dog, and is one of the happiest, most content people I know.
I have friends with more money and fancier careers who live in cooler cities and live more Instagrammable lives. But this friend is the one I am most impressed with- because she actually built a thing and made her dreams come true. It’s inspired me so much ans has made me want to do the same in my own life. It’s possible! Polly is right!
Nurturing dreams (especially in the face of rejection) feels so difficult and is such an act of bravery. An agent turned down my manuscript recently and I was devastated. I know I should just try to enjoy the journey or whatever, but one of my dreams has always been to see my book on the shelves of bookstores and libraries. I feel kinda stupid for having shown the manuscript to this person, and I'm hesitant to show it to anyone else, even though (or maybe because) I really love it.
Please don't give up. I read a story recently that was something along the lines of "two people got their manuscripts rejected. Person 1 put it away in a drawer and felt ashamed. Person 2 sent it to five more publishers and eventually got the book published." Be Person 2! --Signed, someone trying to finish (err, start) a book proposal and wishing you well!
mp, thank you so much for saying this. It makes me want to keep going. I need to practice not taking things so personally. But it's hard when I, personally, wrote that manuscript, y'know?
I want to be Person 2. 🙂 Thank you again for your kind encouragement.
How is it that every piece of your writing brings tears to my eyes? Thank you for putting these words together against this hard cruel dreamless world. I love you and your brain more than you’ll ever know. Thank you Heather x
That's the best lede ever, for all of your stories and for whatever I may think of writing, next. Your writing is consistently brilliant and engaging. The last line is equally powerful and connects with all neurons flying around my brain today. Have a happy birthday this month, and write about it if you want us to help you celebrate.
Hats off to Heather for pointing out how important our dreams are---both waking aspirations and the night dreams that re-churn our deepest self-knowledge for our sorting through the jumble that is a life well lived bestows us with: ". . . I will walk through this day hearing the songs that float through my head, treating myself like the rock star I am, treating myself like someone who is capable of anything she sets her mind to, someone who can take a feeling and make a song from it, someone whose spine is aligned with the stars in the sky . . ." GOOD ONE!
I loved this, and I think about this so much in my own life.
A couple years ago, I moved to a smaller city in the Midwest after being in SF for a while and getting increasingly disillusioned with being only around people in tech who talked about how much their stock options were worth.
In the first year I moved out here, I reconnected with a college acquaintance. She’d always wanted to be a singer/songwriter, but had sort of stopped. The first year, she put an ad on Craigslist for a band. Within a year, she wrote a small EP and did their first show. (With a broken mic). 2 years on, they’ve recorded a full killer album, sold out shows, and are going on tour. She has a reasonable but not career focused day job, a nice boyfriend, a small house, and a dog, and is one of the happiest, most content people I know.
I have friends with more money and fancier careers who live in cooler cities and live more Instagrammable lives. But this friend is the one I am most impressed with- because she actually built a thing and made her dreams come true. It’s inspired me so much ans has made me want to do the same in my own life. It’s possible! Polly is right!
This is incredibly inspiring!
thank you, thank you, thank you...from the dreamiest lost & found soul
Nurturing dreams (especially in the face of rejection) feels so difficult and is such an act of bravery. An agent turned down my manuscript recently and I was devastated. I know I should just try to enjoy the journey or whatever, but one of my dreams has always been to see my book on the shelves of bookstores and libraries. I feel kinda stupid for having shown the manuscript to this person, and I'm hesitant to show it to anyone else, even though (or maybe because) I really love it.
Please don't give up. I read a story recently that was something along the lines of "two people got their manuscripts rejected. Person 1 put it away in a drawer and felt ashamed. Person 2 sent it to five more publishers and eventually got the book published." Be Person 2! --Signed, someone trying to finish (err, start) a book proposal and wishing you well!
mp, thank you so much for saying this. It makes me want to keep going. I need to practice not taking things so personally. But it's hard when I, personally, wrote that manuscript, y'know?
I want to be Person 2. 🙂 Thank you again for your kind encouragement.
And write that book proposal!!
I found the post I mentioned! https://aestheticsofjoy.com/the-future-creates-the-past-a-liberating-truth-about-time/
Thank you so much. Vivid and complete and granular and every word felt, from the page to my heart. Thank you.
Brilliantly articulated what I've felt for a long time but couldn't put words to it. Great reframe around dreams!!! Thank you!
This needs a 1800 number at the bottom.
A helpline for dreams.
I'll be dreaming that you can write someday.
Sending you love!
Hey, thanks. I needed this.
Thank you for this Heather, it is such a gorgeous piece of writing and fed my soul this morning.
How is it that every piece of your writing brings tears to my eyes? Thank you for putting these words together against this hard cruel dreamless world. I love you and your brain more than you’ll ever know. Thank you Heather x
That's the best lede ever, for all of your stories and for whatever I may think of writing, next. Your writing is consistently brilliant and engaging. The last line is equally powerful and connects with all neurons flying around my brain today. Have a happy birthday this month, and write about it if you want us to help you celebrate.
Really good. Glad to have found you. Looking forward to more.
"keep the fires burning low on the altar"
Beautiful! ✨
This was so beautiful! Thank you most especially for those last paragraphs. I loved "dream assassins"! Peace, Love, Create ;-)
Hats off to Heather for pointing out how important our dreams are---both waking aspirations and the night dreams that re-churn our deepest self-knowledge for our sorting through the jumble that is a life well lived bestows us with: ". . . I will walk through this day hearing the songs that float through my head, treating myself like the rock star I am, treating myself like someone who is capable of anything she sets her mind to, someone who can take a feeling and make a song from it, someone whose spine is aligned with the stars in the sky . . ." GOOD ONE!
Thank you for this. Beautiful. I needed it today.