What's Your Dream for 2014?

       It's almost the end of 2013. Of course, the older you are, the faster time passes. When we were kids, summers seemed never-ending and now a season passes by so quickly, you'd better not blink or you'll miss it.

       New Year's resolutions are silly (in my opinion). They don't last for very long before they (along with our resolve) crumble at the wayside, forgotten.

       But dreams and goals are different. You can think about and fantasize about and work toward fulfilling a dream or achieving a goal.

       What are your goals/dreams for 2014? Inquisitive minds want to know...

To Dream the (Im)possible Dream

          Have you ever nurtured a dream over decades, fanning the tiny lick of flames when it threatened to extinguish itself, only to see it (gloriously) grow and expand?

       A woman I know, Cathy Jenkins, had a dream of owning her own restaurant. She took a trip across the country with her family and wheedled her way into restaurant kitchens as they traveled. (Cathy is so personable, she could get a lamppost to engage in conversation.) Along the way, they took lots of photographs of their family in national parks, on the beach, and so on.

       She then began her own small cooking business, and offered a weekly treat for the teachers at her children's elementary school. A flyer would be posted in the office,  complete with a photo of the entrée of the week, and the staff would call in their order. No matter what she made, it was delicious.

        Now--after months and months of working on the interior and planning the menu and meeting with city planners, she just had the grand opening of her own restaurant--Cathy's Kitchen. It's in the heart of old-town Ferguson, right next to a Curves (not a great place for the Curves clients, I must say) and every publication in town interviewed her. The Post-Dispatch. The Suburban Journal. She's going to be in Taste and Sauce, two local cooking magazines.

You can't really tell, because I'm not the best photographer, but the kitchen
is completely open and retro-looking.

Along the entire length of the restaurant is a highway. Along the road, there are
photos of the dishes Cathy's Kitchen offers, family pictures, and guitars and cowboy boots and
Mardi Gras beads, to represent each geographical area along the highway.

This is the dreamer...Cathy Jenkins.


If you're in St. Louis and have the chance to stop by Cathy's Kitchen, you won't be disappointed. (The smoked salmon crostini is delicious. A friend had the fish tacos--the fish is not breaded--and thoroughly enjoyed them.)

What dream do you have for yourself or for your writing? And...what are you doing to keep your dream burning brightly?

Unless You Have Sugar...

         I read a great quote recently, a twist on another really old quote. It went something like, "If you take lemon and turn it into lemonade, unless you're also adding water and some sugar, you're going to have really sour lemonade."

        On Monday I got the news that my story, "There's No Ceiling On Dreams," will be published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul's The Power of Positive. (It will go on sale on October 23.)

        That positive news helps sweeten up some of the setbacks that all writers have. No news. Bad news. Waiting-on-pins-and-needles...nothing new about that. 

        My story is about when my students and I each hung up a cloud from the ceiling of our classroom. We each put our dream on a cloud. Who knew what the impact of magic markering unspoken dreams onto posterboard would be...

        If we don't sweeten up our life of writing, it gets bitter. Facing rejection on a regular basis is tough, so we have to put some pockets of pleasure into our routine--otherwise we'd give up. 

        What do you do to keep yourself going? What technique do you use...what activity do you engage in...what mantra do you mumble to sweeten up your writing life?

(How would you like to sit back in a comfy chair and listen to C. Hope Clark talk about writing? You can, if you go here. It's a wonderful podcast, jam-packed with humor and self-deprecation and advice.)

       
       
           

        

It Was a Dark and Stormy Spirit...

          For those writers who are discouraged, for those who still (like me) dream of someday having a book of theirs in bookstores, please check out Rumjhum Biswas' blog.  She has included an anecdote from a writing magazine that is sure to strengthen your spirit and keep the flame of hope burning...

photo by krazykrayons

          Check out her posting from today (9/6/10).  Her posts are wicked cool; unfortunately, I think I have to sign up for a wordpress blog in order to post a comment.  Since I've gone blog-beserk enough with just one, I cannot afford to double the madness.

          So, if any wordpress bloggers are out there and read this, please relay to Rumjhum Biswas that I just found her yesterday, on my blog I have a link to her blog, I would be a follower but alas, cannot, and I loved her poem about how she wanted to be remembered...

Blogging...Cheaper Than Therapy

        I spent yesterday evening with my daughter, my granddaughter, and her mother-in-law.  It was delightful; all three of those girls are warm and engaging and intriguing...

       Riley's grandma (I'm grammy) was not sure what a blog was.  Why blog?  What was I getting out of it?

       I began this blog over the summer, when I had some time off.  I wasn't having my voice heard, for a variety of reasons, so I started tapping away on my laptop. 

        It's opened up a whole new world.  There is someone from India whose writing I found and enjoy, thanks to blogging.

       There are a number of writers who are encouraging me and cheering me along, thanks to blogging.

        There are a bunch of teachers who "get it" when we each complain/commiserate about our backs that are breaking yet our spirits have not, thanks to blogging.

        By the way, teachers as well as other writers who have not discovered Robert Brault, check him out. (However, I guess over 60,000 have found him, so I was in the minority until this morning.)  You will laugh, instead of cry.  I have a suspicion he is channeling Aaron Sorkin and Robin Williams and Mark Twain and a whole lot of other brilliant writers/comedians---all that great stuff could not come from one person---but I don't care what the source/inspiration is. It hits the spot.

       Here is one his quotes to end with:

"I was the architect of my dreams but forgot to contract a builder."
                                      ---Robert Brault

       

Dreams are the Theme (This Year)

         Every year my classroom has a different theme. The most elaborate year it was a rainforest, and had vine-y flowers hanging from the ceiling, and the ceiling tiles were covered with trees (huge pieces of cardboard I had spray painted) and leaves that I had painted and laminated...Very time intensive, but everything stayed put.  The next year we were Africa (the leaves came down, the trees stayed up) and the year after that, we were the ocean (which looked much like the sky to my sometimes-snarky colleagues). Pieces of the sky kept falling down all school year.

        This year our theme is going to be "Dreams."  There are going to be clouds/sky hanging from my ceiling, along with kid-created mobiles made from CD's. Since school begins tomorrow, and since I am Princess of Procrastination, the clouds will be cut out and decoupaged today after I purchase the fabric and cut out and holepunch the posterboard clouds.

        To begin our journey together, the students are going to reflect on what their dreams are.  We're going to talk about the power of dreams and aspirations and hopefully, the children who have beaten-down spirits can raise their heads up this year and walk tall...

       As the students dig down to reveal their dreams for their future, so will I.  My friend and I have talked about going to Africa during the summer for several weeks and teaching.  Undoubtably, it would be a life-changing experience.  The airfare is too high, but if we can manage to get a sponsor, our dreams will take flight...

          One of my most deepest, darkest dreams is to become a published author.  As a kid, I wanted to be a journalist.  I was the editor of the school newspaper, won some journalism awards, read voraciously, and always dreamed of having a book of mine for sale in book stores.  Have I done everything I can to make that dream a reality? Sadly, no.

           If I expect my students to believe in themselves, so should I.  Therefore, this will be a journey we will all  take this year.

painting by Jason Reynolds

          One of the things that will be prominently displayed is a painting my son-in-law did.  Our president is there because one man dreamed about what this country could be.  Our president is there because many people in many neighborhoods went door to door and stood shoulder to shoulder at political gatherings, nurturing a flame.  Our president is there because an entire race of people kept their dreams alive for hundreds of years.

        As Aerosmith sang decades ago, "Dream on, dream until your dream comes true."