Journal Prompt
I am firmly entrenched in the world of teens and pre-teens. My dreams are currently taking a new direction: focused on supporting the dreams of my children. I have learned that dreams require patience. You can't have it all, all the time, when you want it. Immediate gratification often has a far heavier cost than taking the slow and more steady road to fulfilment. Taking a break to focus on more important things, my kids, gives me time to have my ideas percolate and form fully before I expend time, energy and often expense only to have them fall apart. My creative dreams today are not necessarily my creative dreams of 2, 5, 10 years ago. The great thing is they grow as you grow, change as you change.
CLAIRE has just finished her first year of high school. She is a sweet and responsible girl ... with edge. She is social, smart, hard working and sure. No push over, my girl. She has a great sense of self. It was the one thing I dreamed for her and she has worked hard, against many obstacles, to attain a strong spirit and great confidence and humour. She started on a new athletic journey abandoning baseball after 8 or 9 years and now plays rugby, canoeing and I'm hoping by the end of the summer, golf! She understands the importance of her studies and is focused on getting good marks and picking a good university as she wants to be a Chiropractor/Sports Therapist. I am doing all I can to make sure her dream is reached - I'm supportive and happy to sign her up for anything that will further her ambitions. I am a sounding board always open and available to encourage her to be all that which she is capable.
COLE has just finished his first year of middle school. He is a kind, intense and mature guy ... with enough self doubt to keep him from being too cocky. This year he saw evidence that hard work pays off as he was chosen to join the AAA hockey team after two dreadful seasons of toil. His response? Work harder. He is the poster child for focus. He is also very social and becoming very comfortable in the man he is becoming: well read, opinionated and thoughtful. He's also very active: he canoes/kayaks, plays rugby, runs cross country, plays football and goofs off with his younger brother. He has already decided that he is going to further his studies at McGill and pursue a career as a lawyer. I am doing all I can as his greatest cheerleader to provide him with sound council and encouragement. My greatest dream for Cole would be to forget about perfection and focus his considerable energy on attaining excellence. I have no doubt he will.
CHLOE is finishing up grade 5 and enjoyed her stint as Prime Minister of her class, honour student and playground organizer. Her siblings call her bossy, I call her organized :) Chloe discovered a love for volleyball which will be perused with gusto next season. She also quite enjoyed being a member of the Oakville Children's Choir this past season. She wants for so many things! A dreamer this one is! Right now she wants to be a marine biologist; a singer/actress; a teacher and a mum. Right now, the only dream I have for Chloe is happiness. She is such a force she doesn't always see how her actions effect others. Resilience is not the same as happiness. Oh, and I also hope she will finally turn off the television and embrace the books she's currently enjoying!
CADEN will forever be my "thank god he's alive" child. We almost lost him in 2003 to a drowning incident which left him in a coma for over a week. He is a continual marvel. When we left the hospital we were told to keep our expectations low, that among other things, he would never be able to use a Gameboy. I bought him one on the way home, not only does he play, he's mastered it and ever helps his big brother when he gets stuck on levels. Every time I have a dream for him, albeit a cautious one, he moves beyond it and I have to come up with something else. He's a big, funny, goofy comedian who loves to make people laugh and loathes being laughed at, ah, performer indeed. He's a stats freak and just when you think "it can't be", you google for an answer and realize he's right. My dream for Caden is that he finds joy in whatever he does.
Why a big entry about my children?
Simple.
They are my dream.
When I was growing up and had no dreams left, the only thing I wanted was a family of my own.
For you who are suspicious that I'm avoiding the practical question of what is my dream, here is my current, long-term list:
- Write a book, or series of books
- Drag out my watercolours and see where that goes
- Maybe combine the two?
- Lose 100 pounds
- Get published in Canadian Scrapbooker magazine
- Put together that notebook/card idea I had a couple of years ago
- Play tennis and golf again
- Multi media canvases, hmm
- That stationery store idea is always niggling at the back of my head - maybe Etsy makes more sense?
- Create an on-line class a la Susannah Conway? Ali Edwards? Share what I've learned, teach something altogether new? Be content to realize I'm not a teacher?
- Take a photo tour of Europe
- The poster quotes is another niggling plan
- What ever happened to that ceramic idea? Etching plans? Glass painting?
Random Word Prompt
Smooth
Scotch? Marble? Jazz? Glass? Transition? So many choices!
Then I remembered all of the gorgeous smooth and flat rocks at the cove where the kids launch their kayaks. So indicative of our life here in Bronte. Whiling away hours skipping the lake rocks throughout the summer.
What was your interpretation of "smooth"?
