Re-charge Your Big Dream

Last updated on September 21st, 2022 at 01:51 pm

I must confess that I don’t get out much. I am always working. All my “spare” time is spent working on my big dream. I also have a teenage son, who I actually love spending time with (even though he is a teenager, which says a lot about who he is as a person).

It’s been a few years since I’ve traveled like I once did when I worked in corporate America–back in the day when I was obsessed with climbing to the top of a corporation. However, more than my need to be a VP, my son needed stability and creativity that only I could provide. I began to use my spare time to set down deep roots and create an English garden in our small but loving home with a yard that bugged me because it resembled a dental practice.

The more I worked at changing our home into a magical place with roses and lavender, the less I liked the demands of my corporate life. Once I finally was forced off the daily 6:00 am to 6:00 pm hamster wheel and began to focus more on doing what I most enjoyed, I realized I had to change my life.

I had to show this kid of mine that there is a better way to live your life.

Traveling away from my son wasn’t good for him, and anything that isn’t good for him breaks my heart. I am so connected to him that just couldn’t travel without him anymore. I wanted everything about my life to include him. It’s as if the English garden I planted took hold, reached out, grabbed me, and was trying to prevent me from leaving our little sanctuary.

I began to look for work I could do from my dining room table, or as close to the dining room table as I could get.

I am happy to report that I managed to achieve that dream.

To sit and write while my son is just over my shoulder playing video games brings me a peace I cannot put into words. We both listen to the same music while we have our “play” where I’m clicking away on the computer and he’s trying to get into a video game programmer’s mind.

We listen to his music.

He’s way more interesting than I was at his age. He was born interesting, although his father and I like to pretend it’s due to us. It’s not.

He’s a senior now and I am getting those,< em>“mom, I want you to get a life”  looks I thought would never come. I remember when I got to the same place with my mom when our family was finally recovering from our dad’s death. You want to see your parents happy, just like they want you to be happy.

My mom, the woman who introduced me to hiking through National Parks, loving nature, and appreciating all this world gives to us, taught me to say hello to strangers and engage them in conversation, and to always live a life filled with travel as a hobby. She taught me to love travel and people of all cultures.

Once she stopped being so sad over losing her husband, my brother and I wanted her to start traveling again … to “get a life.”  She did just that many times over.

She went to Spain last year when she turned 83.

Travel changes your perspective about everything in your life. I know this. And too many dreams and no play make Catherine a very dull girl. Sometimes just changing your routine slightly can infuse you with a new sense of happiness and creativity. Just like me, you don’t even have to leave your town.

You too can travel 5 minutes outside your door to meet a new friend, take a different route to work, read a new book, or take a long walk in nature. It’s just important that you do something to change your view. It can be just as refreshing as a vacation if you let it. Mini breaks can help you stay on your big dream journey.

Just try it.