Post by Sharon
When we were kids, we wanted to grow up so fast. It was in our very genes to study grownups and learn independence. But, what can we learn from dreams we obtained and dreams we did not? Let's have a look in our middle years at those childhood dreams -
I remember daydreaming about driving a car. I would sit in the Vista Cruiser in the driveway and pretend steer, imagine the places I wanted to visit first when I got a license and of course hoping for a drive across country to see the Pacific Ocean and play in California. I could almost taste and smell it. The excitement in my belly was like Christmas morning.
Eight years later, I got my license and was driving. Within a few weeks it lost its charm. Another skill under my belt. Another tedious responsibility.
It wasn't until my late 40s when I divorced and started taking road trips with my best friend that car driving excitement came back. Roll down the windows, play the tunes, go where we want, stop when we want, do a U-turn to go back and take photos, and pull into a town we didn't know and hang with locals.
The open road. The command of my destiny. The unexpected views. The control over coming and going - the magic was back!
Many of us had daydreams as kids and adolescents of things like romance or becoming an astronaut or seeing Australia or whatever else we could dream up.
One day as I was researching a subject of ancient mysteries and coming upon evidence that might explain some odd finds, it dawned on me that at 12 years old I wanted to be a Charlie's Angel. I wanted to solve mysteries, find clues and look cute doing it. And here I was with my reading glasses perched on my nose, feet curled up under me and a computer screen flashing petroglyph photos that I realized I had obtained the goal and never even realized it.
Did you want to climb a mountain?
Discover a hidden treasure?
Ride a dinosaur?
Fly in a hot air balloon?
Become the president?
Walk on the moon?
Some of the easiest ways to get the adventure goals out of the way is a simple trip to an amusement park. There, you can rid the Indiana Jones adventure, take the sky tram, or flip over on a rollercoaster. There is childlike excitement, lights, sounds, and sensations that bring it back to the forefront.
How about a zipline ride on vacation? Sleep in a treehouse? Take a glider plane ride? Go into a wind tunnel weightless float?
If you want to live it vicariously, read it and watch it! Books, movies, and YouTube videos all give you secondhand experience in world travel, treasure hunting, and romance.
For those who dreamed of romance - become a true romantic hero/heroine. Blindfold your partner, take him/her somewhere they never expected. Pack a meal and hit the road, pull over in a beautiful natural setting and have music and a picnic at the sun sets. Fill a bathtub with scented bath salts and rose petals, glass of champagne. Light candles and make a meal. Set up a blanket fort in the living room with pillows inside and watch "Romancing the Stone." Create a massage bed and get coconut-scented oil....
Many dreams I had as a kid, came true because I am stubborn. I did model. I did do beauty pageants including Miss USA which was my goal. I did live in California and work in a clothing store, able to dress the mannequins and play with accessories. I did get my license. I did publish books. I did get involved in the film industry.
But, it's the ones we didn't do that leave open a bit of our childhood that can be regained again with the same fervor and excitement.
When I was a kid, I obsessed with finding Braddock's gold and pirate treasures. But today in my 50s, I go prospecting and collect rocks.
When I was a kid, I wanted to live on my own. I have!
Top of the bucket list? See the northern lights and go to another country. Those two can be knocked out in one trip north!
Sometimes, recreating that magic is as simple as pulling out a board game from your childhood, chasing down the ice cream man, blowing bubbles, running through the sprinkler, taking a snow day off and making a snowman. Eat a bowl of Lucky Charms. Have a PBJ sandwich and chocolate milk.
Why do we think when we grow up that the fun must end and the magic must dissolve? Magic is nothing more than a dream being acted out!
For every childhood dream you had, you can find a counterpart today, no matter what your situation - whether it's to journal and daydream, paint or read, photograph others doing the risky stuff, studying a subject, going to a location, or helping out someone who is doing that thing - like offering some website design help for someone chasing a vein of gold from some historic manuscript.
No matter how mobile you are, childhood dreams are still very much alive inside. Simply sitting in the sunshine, face turned up to the sun like the old tanning days, listening to the springtime birds, holding a bottle of soap and a bubble wand....
We owe it to ourselves to repurpose those dreams!
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