The Story of My Dreams

I stand by the mouth of the cave and gaze at the beauty spread before me. At first glance it appears to be a meadow filled with a variety of wildflowers of every colour and type imaginable, all uniformly thriving. Yet as my eyes adjust to the brightness of the sun, I notice inconsistencies in the landscape. Rolling hills, patches of wilting grass and drooping flowers exist alongside the vibrant flowers, full of every possible colour and size. A few wispy clouds along with looming thunderclouds co-exist with the bright sunshine and beauty. I hear birds singing, see an eagle soar on the wind currents and butterflies, the symbol of transformation, flit from flower to flower.

I am drawn to the beauty, the diversity, the colour and light of the scene before me, which comes close to where I am standing and yet seems so far away. I must leave my hiding place within the darkness of the cave, lit with dim glimmers of light and hope. I know I have messages to share, stories to tell, and to hear. Fear threatens to chain me where I am. I must break free so I can wander through the meadow, sharing my passion of how much everyone’s story matters.

This picture describes where I feel I am, and where I need and long to go. One sentence sums up the vision, and has become my mission statement for when I move forward.

I am passionate about mentoring and educating people of all ages and abilities to help them find their voice and reach their fullest potential.

I work on fulfilling this passion through my speaking, storytelling and writing. I share stories from the heart, real life experiences that are not always bright and sunny, but always have a glimmer of hope. I see those flowers in the meadow as the many people that I meet on this journey of lie. No matter what size, shape, age, or ability each one has a story that matters. Every person is full of potential and change is part of the story of our lives.

My dream is two-fold. First, I see myself speaking more. The formats for the speaking vary from one-on-one mentoring to conducting workshops on the importance of communication, and sharing your story to inspirational speaking to groups of various ages and sizes. I have already done this for a few years. I enjoy meeting people, hearing their stories and sharing my knowledge with them. The past several years, I have taken more time to share story in written form. These I pass on as a legacy for my children and grandchildren. Some get published and others can enjoy the escapades of the life of my family.

The second part of the dream is more difficult for me and yet necessary to pursue. The meadow beckons with all its potential, even when building storm clouds overshadow and rocky patches want to trip me up. I need to let people know I am available to speak and take that step out of the cave of insecurity and discouragement. Then divine appointments can and will happen to the encouragement of everyone involved.

Written by: Carol Harrison; Carol’s Corner