I spent my morning volunteering at the barn today, and the weather was exquisite. By early afternoon, I was ready to go home and do jig saw puzzles or maybe think up a blog post, or just enjoy the glorious weather. I noticed, though, that our program director was sparkling about the barn aisle, arranging flowers, positioning a poster board on a wrought iron stand, assembling goodies, and generally preparing for Something.
Upon inquiry, I was told that a Silver Spurs occasiou was in the offing. A lady in the 97th year of her age had expressed a desire to reconnect with horses, a source of much joy in her earlier life. Her family took the request seriously, and Loudoun Therapeutic Riding agreed to collaborate to make “a dream come true.” The poster depicted this lady in her prime, and cited her accomplishments with one of her memorable equine partners.
She brought an entourage of family and friends, and a good time was had by all. I stayed for the part where she was driven around the farm in a two-wheeled one-horse cart. She even took the reins for a few moments herself. I don’t know if she ended up in the saddle, but the festivities looked headed in that direction.
What I thought as I drove home, was how marvelous to be in the business of making dreams come true. The occasion was joyous, great memories were made, and many pictures taken. The love for this woman was palpable, and I know I wasn’t the only person thinking, “When I’m 97, (if I’m ever 97), I hope I’m still dreaming, and I hope my dreams are still coming true.”
But then I got to thinking about the dreams of mine that already have come true. I passed the bar and was admitted to the practice of law. Lordy, that took a lot of work and years of studying, but I got to be a lawyer, and in a lot of ways, that was a good fit for my abilities.
I am a full-time published author. So many deserving people with so much talent haven’t been able to grab that brass ring, try though they might. I’ve hit the New York Times bestsellers list. Once upon a time, I had lunch with Mary Balogh, and if you’d poked me on that auspicious occasion, nothing but sunshine would have poured forth from my person.
I have traveled to marvelous far-off lands, and once, in 2016, I even traveled with a group of readers. I rode on the beach in Ireland, and next time I have that good fortune, I am going to canter.
Probably the first dream of mine that ever came true was when my mom bought me a horse. She saved a few dollars from this grocery run, and a few from that birthday budget, and eventually had enough to secure ownership of Buck (who lived up to his name). How great was my joy that day, and how equally great when I gave my daughter her first horse, a venerable old campaigner named Pasha.
All of which is to say, that I am profoundly grateful to each of you, who read my books, chime in on my blogs, and make it possible for me to do this published author gig with joy and meaning. A dream comes true for me every day I get out of bed and sit down to write.
Are you still dreaming? Have you made some dreams come true?
PS: For those who enjoy audio books, Lord Julian’s second mystery, A Gentleman of Dubious Reputation, is now available in audio from the web store. James Langton has done another wonderful job, if I do say so my own humble self!
I do still have dreams though I have come to accept that they may not come true. My biggest dream is to leave Florida and move back to the West Coast sooner rather than later. I also dream of travelling back to Europe and to New Zealand/Australia and Japan. I used to dream of flying to Europe on the SST, then travelling on the Orient Express (now known as the Venice-Simpleton Express I think), and then returning from Europe on an old-fashioned ocean liner (not one of those modern cruise ships that hold a million people), but since the SST is no more, that part at least will not happen. But I still dream of the other parts.
I have accomplished some dream-worthy things but they were more goals than dreams, so while I’m happy I did them, I don’t count them.
I hope you DO get to see Australia and New Zealand. I had that privilege and it was a trip of a lifetime.Such wonderful places,both of them, and so different. I wish they were easier to get to, but part of the charm is the trip itself.
“I had some dreams they were clouds in my coffee… “ Carly Simon
I also had a nostalgic run through my playlists last night. Dream On! (Aeorosmith 1973)
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Dreams! I am living my dream right this very moment! I celebrated my 74th birthday scuba diving on Bonaire, and a seahorse and 3 turtles celebrate with me! How awesome is that?
I grew up in the inner city of Chicago. Sunday nights were spent watching “The Wonderful World of Disney” and my very favorite “Jacques Cousteau.” Never did I I imagine that someday I would actually dive into waters he had explored! It took many years before I had the opportunity to learn, but oh how I love diving. If that little girl had not fallen in love with the underseas world, how much joy I would be missing.
Now my dream is to celebrate my 75th birthday here on Bonaire!
My dreams are modest these days, but no less important:
I want to lose 5 more pounds to reach the goal weight I’ve been working on since January, 2023 (60 down, 5 to go).
I want to have physical therapy work its magic so I can actually stand up straight after 10 back surgeries (and losing the afore mentioned 60 pounds).
I want to get out to Salt Lake City (from Pennsylvania) more often to see my “little” brother who turns 65 next year.
I want to attend my 50th high school reunion next year and have long-ago classmates say “You look great!”– although I will settle for “good”– even without the exclamation mark.
I want my loving, patient, kind husband to be happy. Whatever it takes, I will gladly do, say, or give.
Those are my dreams. This has been a wonderfully introspective blog post, Grace. Thank you.
I have 2 dreams.
One is to show my corgi Gregory at my club’s specialty show next week. I missed the show last year due to my surgery.
Greg been bathed, walked and we went to class this past week. Am hoping we have a good time and BOTH of us remember what to do!
I would love to go go to the UK next year with my daughter. I would love to visit the museums in London and the gardens in the Cotswolds.And have tea and scones at a fancy restaurant.
Dreams are important.
The only dream on my bucket list is to go to Hawaii, and after looking at a number of retreats, etc., I’m happy to say that I’m going there on a quilting cruise in October. So excited!
My dream is to retire. I’ve had to put it off a month so my first free day with no (paid) job will be July 1. One month shy of 43 years at this job.
I will so appreciate free time with no commutes, to be able to get enough sleep. I’ll think of something to occupy some of my free time later. I’m also scheduling a long overdue knee replacement. I bought a cane yesterday.
Brava for the cane and the knee replacement. You will wonder why you waited so long! Use the cane proudly until you no longer need it. That’s part of the dream! And 43 years on the job? Ah, that’s remarkable and rarely seen in this day and age. Congratulations on a well earned retirement.
I’m so glad for you for all of your dreams that have come true, Grace! You deserve it )as do we all).
And yep, I’d hope that when I’m elderly, people come together to make some simple dream of mine a reality. That’s a simply beautiful.
Gratitude is a wondrous sentiment – when we look back on our lives and momentous meetings, we realize that it is a dance beautifully orchestrated – thank you for sharing Grace!
I love your dreams. I have faltered in my dreaming but I remember some; I got ridding lessons for awhile, I graduated from my BS with honors, l got a masters, I loved my job when I wasn’t being hassled by higher ups. The list goes on. My daughters grew up to be amazing people…