Day 26- Dream Big

When I was a little girl, the biggest dream I had for myself was to not live in a trailer when I grew up. Growing up lower middle class, maybe even below that - I did have reduced lunch at school- was so very embarrassing for me. As an adult looking back, I feel like I wasted my childhood dreaming of something I shouldn't have really been worried about. I should have dreamt bigger.

In Chapter 28 of TLL, Pausch reflects on Armstrong's first step on the moon back in 1969 and how inspirational that event was for him as a child. He was at camp and the kids were sent to bed without witnessing the happening live. Luckily for Pausch, his dad took a picture of the t.v. screen with Armstrong standing on the moon. Pausch closes with, "Give yourself permission to dream. Fuel your kids' dreams, too. Once in a while, that might even mean letting them stay up past their bedtimes."

As a mother, I think all of the time about how to inspire my kids and help them to dream big. I often feel like if my parents had been more educated- neither graduated from high school- perhaps I would have known how to have bigger dreams than getting out of a trailer. If they had known more about college: that all are not created equal, that math is a good idea for a major (I was told their would only be the option of teaching if I majored in math! Imagine what I could have done with computers alone). I hope that as an educated mother that still works in higher ed, I can help my kids to make better choices.

One thing I have done is to focus so much on my kids, that I no longer dream big for myself. In fact, I wouldn't even know what to dream. Too often I feel like my path in life is set and that this is it for me. I will sit at a desk until retirement and never do anything extraordinary. Truth be told, I am scared to dream for anything more, lest I be disappointed.

In the future, I am going to try to remember that the world is full of opportunity and dreams to be had, and that a 35 year old still has a lot of life left to live, and dreams with which to fill that life.

--Dear God, I ask that you give me the power to dream big for myself, as well as for my children. I ask that you help me to not resign myself to the fact that life will always be as it is, that there is still time to do some cool, fantastical things. I pray that I can be an inspiration to my children and help them to dream big for all the days of their lives. Amen.

Edited to add this as a "Big Dream". Mama wants to go here. It is now on my Bucket List.