TAKE THE TIME TO NURTURE YOUR DREAM

The other day I was at a friend’s home. I noticed the cuckoo clock on the wall; and we started to talk about the importance of time and how we spend it.

I haven’t gotten that cuckoo clock out of my mind.

Once I start thinking about something, I can often go off on rabbit trails to figure out what it all means. Does that make me cuckoo?

I’m often amazed that I get such enjoyment out of researching information. I hated school as a kid. Yet, I’m fascinated and get excited about learning new things.

My Wikipedia search revealed that cuckoo clocks were created in Germany and the mechanism to mimic the cuckoo bird’s call has been around since the 18th century. I literally went on YouTube and discovered that the cuckoo clock sounds just like the cuckoo bird.

I always thought cuckoo meant a little crazy; but when I researched the cuckoo bird. I was stunned.

The cuckoo bird is considered a parasite bird. It drops its eggs in another bird’s nest and takes off. It lets another bird raise its offspring. Hmmm. Isn’t that crazy?

I also discovered that the cuckoo bird eats caterpillars.

I admit that I’m not really a fan of caterpillars. When I was a little girl, caterpillar fell out of a tree and onto my arm. It stung me; and it hurt!

BUT SERIOUSLY! Caterpillars turn into butterflies; and I love butterflies. To me, they are such a symbol of the beauty of life.

The sole purpose of the butterfly is to create life.

The average life span of a butterfly is about two weeks. During that short amount of time, they lay eggs and keep life going.

To become a butterfly, the eggs must go through the painful transformation process of metamorphosis. It takes most species less than 30 days* for the caterpillar to transform and emerge as a butterfly in all its glory and wonder.

The cuckoo bird, on the other hand, tosses off its offspring to another bird. It doesn’t take care of what it’s birthed.

The time we have in this life is so precious. Yet, the cuckoo bird, which has no respect for life, is used as a symbol to measure time. GO FIGURE!

THE STRUGGLE HAS PURPOSE

Oftentimes, it feels like an eternity for dreams to materialize. There are so many ups and downs and struggles along the way.

Birthing dreams is never easy.

It’s painful. It’s scary. It’s frustrating. It takes time!

If one tries to help a butterfly come out of its cocoon too early, it will either die or never reach its full potential.

Throughout the struggles, I have had to change to discover who I was born to be.

My lifelong dream has always been to act. Never in my wildest imagination did I expect to write and share stories from my life that would encourage and inspire others.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that my dream should not be about me. It’s about how I can bless others.

There have been many twists and turns along the way. I think the most difficult struggle has been learning to accept change and move with it and through it.

I struggled through 22 years in the corporate world forcing myself to fit into a mold considered acceptable. I had to come to grips with the fact I needed to make a major change in my life. I needed to come to the realization that I kept doing the same thing again and again expecting a different result. CUCKOO!

I struggled through leaving everything I’ve known behind to pursue my dream often wondering if I was cuckoo.

I’ve struggled through the growing pains of learning to let go of those things and people that were starving my dream instead of feeding it.

I’ve had to fight through fear and wanting to quit.

Through the struggles, I’ve learned life lessons, acquired some wisdom and a sense of purpose. I’m still a work in progress; but I’m at a place in my life where I feel I’m ready to fly.

TAKE THE TIME TO PREPARE

The time between when we conceive the dream and it happens should not be wasted time. It should be a time to prepare for the day when preparation and opportunity collide. We need to be ready.

A few years ago, I was casually chatting with a man I knew. We started talking about our dreams. He told me he loved music and wanted to pursue it professionally. I asked him what he was doing to bring his dream to fruition. He said, “Nothing.” I was surprised. I asked him, “Are you taking lessons?” He answered, “No.” I just looked at him. What I wanted to say was, “That’s not a dream. It’s a wish.”

A wish and a dream are very different. A wish is more of a momentary desire; whereas, a dream requires blood, sweat and tears.

I believe we need to prepare ourselves in every way possible to make our dream a reality. Bringing a dream to pass is not an overnight thing.

It takes patience. It takes commitment. It takes perseverance.

We need to respect our dreams and nurture them to the fullest. Otherwise, we are like the cuckoo bird who just hands off its offspring for someone else to raise.

Then, again, maybe we need to be a little cuckoo to realize…it’s never too late to go after your dreams.