I Hope You Dream Big

Children will learn more by what you do than what you say. I type these words into my phone while sitting on the swing in my backyard.

The creaking sound and rocking motion is always enough to lull my 1-year old son to sleep when nothing else works. His hand is gripping my shirt and his warm face pressed into my neck. He breathes in and out softly.

Sometimes when I find myself here, I marvel at this miracle. I sit and look out at the palms in the backyard sway in the wind. I lean my head back and think , what a blessing.

But sometimes the busy highway of my mind goes in a hundred different directions; the work I am behind on at the office, the dishes in the sink, and the upcoming wedding that I don’t have clothes that fit to wear to.

And every once in a while, ,my mind wanders in the best way and I think of story ideas that I would love to tell. I quickly tap notes into my phone and promise I will get to sitting down and writing these soon.

At bedtime, I read my son a book about chasing his dreams and telling him he can be anything he wants to be. I say “ Ryan , I hope you dream big “ as I see his eyes starts to close and feel his body soften into mine.

But after my son goes to sleep I end up cleaning ,or answering overflowing work emails, or prepping food for the next day. I tell myself that these things take precedence, and I will have time to write someday.

I am realizing that this small pocket of time each evening spent intentionally working on my goals can one day achieve big results. John Maxwell said it best — consistency compounds.

My best writing works have come out of my greatest struggles. I read once that nothing that happens to a writer is ever wasted.

By taking the time to write, I am showing my son that we are here on this earth to use our gifts. There are ideas and experiences unique to me that must be released into the world through my writing.

As I swing today with a sleeping toddler on my lap, I let my mind wander to the day he can sit and read the books and articles that his mom wrote. I am reading a book to him about following his dreams but really, I am reading it to myself too.