

Discover more from The Sage Chef - Barbara McNeely
Did you have a dream as a child? Something you were passionate about. Something you absolutely wanted to do, but never did. Is that dream still hanging on? Do you regret not pursuing it, but it seems out of reach now?
I know that feeling. I had dreams of being a writer. I craved attention, but often felt neglected or ignored. I remember writing a story in first grade. About a dog. But a couple of years later, I stopped writing. I was even afraid to really write in my diary. For fear that I would be laughed at and ridiculed.
Here’s why
My younger brother was born with a cleft palate and lip. He went through many surgeries during his first few years. I was 6 when he was born. I used to write letters to my Aunt Betty. I told her all about the surgeries. Honestly, I don't remember what I wrote now. Just that I wrote them.
In the summer, I was maybe 10, we traveled to Memphis to see family. Aunt Betty greeted us when we pulled up in the car. She hugged me and told me that my letters made her cry.
I. Was. Devastated. All my life I had been told that big girls don't cry. Making someone else cry was the worst thing you could do, or so I thought.
I stopped writing. Oh, I wrote papers for school. And wrote them well. But I had trouble writing anything else for a long time. Even letters. Well, especially letters.
In fact, I also stopped expressing my feelings out loud.
I see it all differently now. In fact, I wish I could read those letters. They must have really expressed the emotions of a child watching a sibling going through so much.
It took me a long time to see that, though. Too much thinking about the what ifs and the what might have beens.
What really matters?
None of that matters, though. It only matters what I do going forward. Writing is a big part of who I am. I write every day. Sometimes it’s just the mundane things happening in my world. Other times, though, it’s writing to share with the world. Like what I’m writing right now.
That little girl inside of me still wants to be noticed. Still wants to write. Still wants to help others. She got scared. But she still tried. She created a tap dance routine and entered the school talent show. She took band in junior high and high school. Played clarinet.
How many of us made decisions that way? Made decisions based on other people's opinions or feelings? Were rejected by one person or group and so decided that they were no good?
But those were all just opinions. Other people’s thinking.
How many lost dreams?
What could we become if we always knew that we are infinitely capable? That we have innate health and well being? Regardless of what any one else thinks, says or does?
We can't go back and change the past. But we can start anew, knowing that we are, and always have been, capable of doing anything.
Put aside anything that says you can't. Growing up, I wasn't allowed to say the word "can't." My dad would always reply with "Can't never did anything."
Maybe you've been told that you can't do something. Perhaps some well-meaning person told you that you can't do what you want. Maybe they even believed you couldn't do it.
But, what if they were wrong?
No, not what if. Just this: They were wrong.
If you can dream it, you're capable of doing it.
Is your dream calling you?
Mine was. It took a lot of writing before I could publish. Really publish, I mean. For a long time I wrote but made sure that I didn’t create any controversy. Didn’t say anything that would “rock the boat,” if you will.
Now? I’m writing as me. Unapologetically me. I’m chasing that dream now. And I don’t care who laughs at me, or cries for that matter!
Chase That Dream
Did you have dreams as a child? Dreams that are still calling to you? What has stopped you from pursuing them? Do you still want to pursue them?
If you would like to explore the lost dreams, I’m here for you. For the month of February, and in honor of Valentine's Day, I have a special deal. A thirty minute conversation for only $14! But hurry, it ends when February ends on 02.28.2023!
What will that conversation be? That's up to you. It will be a sacred, safe space for you to explore that dream that is still haunting you. Or anything else you want to discuss.
Ready to start? Register at this link.