Monday's Musings: Do You Have Dreams or To Do Lists?

by Mary Denman   @MaryDenman

Recently, I saw a friend's awesome looking diagram of her dreams and how to get there. It's called mind mapping. She's going to share her knowledge with me and I can't wait to try it. 

So I decided to get a head start. 

I wrote a To Do List instead of my dreams

The idea is basically this: you start with writing out your dreams and then figure out how to get there. You write out all the steps and actions to take.

Simple, right? 

Apparently not for me! 

You know what I wrote down? 

A To Do List......a boring, mundane To Do List. 

It wasn't until later that I realized what happened. 

I didn't have any dreams listed. Just chores, jobs, items I needed to take care of. Some important stuff for sure. But it was still just a To Do List. 

That's sad to me. But it doesn't have to be. 


You see, I feel like I'm waking up from a long slumber. The grief of losing my precious mom and father-in-law two years ago, May 1 and May 18, has been hard. 

Some dreams are covered by the messes of life...by Mary Denman Photography

My mom was such an encourager to me. We were expecting my father-in-law to pass away since he was in hospice care. My mom wasn't in hospice. She was doing fairly well. 

Unfortunately, her death came quickly, surprisingly, and while I was out of the country. Before my father-in-law passed away. I was in shock. Two funerals in two weeks. And my daughter's wedding two weeks after the second funeral. Sounds like a bad movie title. . .Two Funerals and a Wedding. But that was my reality. (I was so happy for my daughter and her husband, but it was so bittersweet

Is your dream fading? by Mary Denman Photography

But if there's one person who would want me to dream again, it would be my mom. She said that as a kid I walked 6 inches off the ground. I was her dreamer. I loved to dance. I was optimistic. 

I need to be that again. To dance when no one's watching. To get excited about what life has to offer still. To be a great writer. A  great photographer. 

Dare to Dream Again! by Mary Denman Photography

My dreams had started to fade. I just sort of accepted where I was in life. 

But I'm excited about life again. Ready to actually start dreaming again. To start hoping. Planning. Having a great purpose behind my To Do List. 

Where are your dreams? 

Do you have any?

Have they been covered with the messes of life? 

Or are they calling to you, daring you to dream again?

I truly hope they can surface once again and get you excited about your life!

Here are a couple of mine that are coming back to life. 

1) Have my medieval fantasy novel published.
2) Have a photo published with National Geographic, somehow. . .

And I would love to hear about your dreams! 


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