Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Dream the Impossible Dream


Since embarking on this little journey of mine and writing about it in this little blog, I often find myself wondering if it is really worth it. Indeed, my journey was delayed time and time again because I battled with the notion of whether my actions really mattered or not. I’m only one person. How does any of this make any real difference? I’m not going to put factory farms out of business because I’m no longer buying their products. My actions alone won’t improve the environment or treatment of livestock. Can one person really make a difference?

Despite my doubts, my reservations, my questions, and my insecurities I eventually decided that this was something that I HAD to do. It really doesn’t matter if it changes the world. It doesn’t matter if no one else gets it. It doesn’t matter if no one ever reads this, or changes their minds, or is pushed to think about things in a different way. It would be great if those things did happen, but the important thing is that to NOT do this would be to deny a part of who I am. It would mean turning my back on things that I truly believe in. It would mean giving up hope in a brighter future and a better world. It would mean that a part of the person that I was created to be would never even have the opportunity to blossom, much less grow.

When we are children, we are encouraged to dream BIG! Who ever laughs at a kid who wants be an astronaut when he/she grows up?  (Mean people, that’s who!) We think it’s great when a kid wants to be a scientist and an artist and a cowboy all rolled into one. But then we grow up. And we’re told to be realistic. Maybe not in so many words, maybe not by anyone in particular. But society tells us to grow up, and that is often just another way of saying that you should put your dreams in a box. Or at least, scale them back. Size them down. Make them fit expectations. Or make them profitable!

Maybe I don’t want to grow up. Because I don’t want to put my dreams in a box anymore. I don’t want to shrink my expectations down to size. I want to believe that I can do anything. I want to believe that change is possible. I want to believe that I can leave this world a better place because I was a part of it.

I believe that each of us has a role to fill. Each of us has been given a gift or gifts by our Creator and it is in His purpose that we find fulfillment. He is the one who gives us our dreams, our passions, our talents, our skills. When we deny those dreams and limit ourselves to what is expected of us… we deny Him the opportunity to use us to do good and positive and, yes, even BIG things. He not only gave us the capacity to dream big, but He will also give us the strength and wisdom and opportunity to do BIG.

I have no control over anyone else. (Shocking, I know!) I can’t make people read my blog, or care about animals, or change their behaviors, or improve their business practices. I do this for me. I know. That sounds selfish. But it’s not. Not only can I not control anyone else, I can’t BE anyone else. I can only be me. So, the best thing that I can do for myself, and for those I love, and for the causes I believe in, and for my Creator is to be the unique me that I was created to be. And part of being ME is to make this stand for things that I believe are important. The rest is out of my hands.

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