Time Shouldn't Stop Dreams

“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old,

they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.”
― Gabriel García Márquez, author of One Hundred Years of Solitude

How old do you feel?

It’s a New Year and that causes a lot of people to reflect on their lives around the world. In 2016, I learned that in some Asian cultures, the New Year means your are another year older. In addition, when you’re born, you’re already 1 year old because the time in the womb counts. Personally, I can appreciate that from a maternal standpoint- pregnancy is a long, drawn out job!

To put this in perspective: imagine being born in 1988. By Western standards, you’re 28 right now. Following the Asian tradition, as of January 1, 2017, you’d look at yourself as being 30. And then you’ll get hit again with it 2 years later when you hit 30 on the Gregorian calendar.

Now, I’m not sure about you, but I’ve been met with quite a bit of angst when it comes to milestone ages such as 30. When it was my turn, I recall people sharing stories of how miserable they had been meeting this age. Me? I was excited. Perhaps because I hoped a new decade would give me some veritas or some respect, after feeling pretty ignorant and small through my 20s, I kind of looked forward to 30.

It’s so easy to get depressed at New Years and at birthdays. We may be plagued with feeling we’re not where we should be or that we don’t have what we have wanted and our chances are fading fast. We may ramp up to hyper mode in an crazed attempt to correct the wrongs and deficiencies we see in our lives.

Let’s not.

Yes, take time at some point to sit alone or with a trusted friend and look honestly at what you’re doing. Dream. Imagine. Admit your life’s truths. Love what and who you are now with the understanding you can grow today, tomorrow and every day after that if you remember YOU AND WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.

Whether you’re 10, 30, 65 or 95, you can dream. It’s your dreaming...and doing...that lift your heart, mind and soul.