Have you a pipe dream?

Last week (Sharon) called me and said, "I get what you're talking about with this dream stuff, but my dreams were just pipe dreams. I always wanted to be on the American Olympic team and stand on the podium getting my gold medal. Just a pipe dream, it never happened."

I was really curious after speaking with her to learn more about what "pipe dreams" are all about. I've certainly heard the term enough.

Well, the good old dictionary helped out by clarifying it; "Alluding to the fantasies induced by smoking an opium pipe, this term has been used more loosely since the late 1800s, it now refers to fantastic notions".

Maybe that's why we're afraid of dreaming today. We probably have all had pipe dreams that didn't come true. I certainly am not my ideal weight, nor have I been on Good Morning America sharing my book, or walked on the moon--those fall into my pipe dream categories.

And back to Sharon.

Her Olympic dream started as she watched the 1972 Olympics when Mark Spitz won 7 gold medals all in record-breaking time. She went on to join her high school swim team and competed in her city's swim meets. College and family took over from there. A pipe dream.

But, pipe dreams are valuable. Just dreaming about dreaming yourself different is good. Pipe dreams allow us to see possibilities in the world and in us. Opening our eyes to the fantastic leads us to decide what we really truly want.

I ended my call with Sharon as she told me all the good that did come from having the pipe dream. She still loves swimming, she learned how to set goals and set time schedules for her practices. Though not a gold medal, she was a winner of her pipe dream.

So like Sharon do (did) you have a pipe dream? Something folks call fantastic and never going to happen? What (is) was that you've learned from it?

Hugs, Be Safe. You Matter.