Beware of the Dream Slayers

I'm back.  I'm back from my self imposed blogging hiatus.  I've worked on my own priorities and found that blogging really is a higher priority for me than I had realized.  So I've dusted of my laptop and made my way back to The Write Time ready to share thoughts and tips once again.  Thanks for waiting.

Did you know you do not need to keep a lid on a bucket of crabs to keep the critters in place? Not one crab will ever get out of a pail full of crabs.  No, not one.

The reason that no crab ever gets out is because if one gets near the top another crab reaches up and pulls it down so it can climb on top and begin to climb out, only to be pulled down by another crab below.

Life can be like a bucket of crabs.  We all have dreams, plans, goals, expectations, and desires.  It seems when someone begins to get ahead someone else comes along and shoots them down.

Lots of reasons, jealousy, greed, envy, just to list a few that come to mind.  Case in point, Jennifer Lawrence and her post Oscar press conference.  Someone asked her if she was peaking too soon.

Someone didn’t like the fact that she is so successful at such a young age.  Other folks reach up and try and pull you down.  They have not achieved their dreams, for what ever reason, so they take pot shots at other people’s dreams.

I know I’ve put my own dreams on a shelf.  My current job demands a lot of my time.  I’ve dreamed of publishing a book.  I’ve learned that my writing has a long way to go and a lot of work is still needed on my manuscript before I dare try and get it published.  Yet, it is still my dream.  I try and spend a little bit of time on that project everyday.  I share this because a lot of people have told me, “Oh, you’ll never be able to publish a book.”  They mean well. (At least I hope they mean well.)

However, good intentioned or not I call these people Dream Slayers.  As a youth I had all sorts of plans and expectations.  As life goes along and more and more responsibilities pile up, and more things demand my attention, my dreams take a back seat.

Then other folks give advice, and room for my dreams get pushed out.  Then there were life’s inevitable set backs.  Trying to come back from those, then the dreams are put on a shelf.  Dust accumulates on the boxes the dreams are stored in, and then cobwebs form.

After time the dreams fade to memories.  The Dream Slayers win and you are left with disappointments and regrets.

Time to fight back.  Be brave and get dreams back.  Do not let the Dream Slayers steal your hopes, your goals.

I failed more spelling tests than I care to admit.  My English grades were not the best.  But I have a passion to tell stories, to share my thoughts.  Writing is the only way I can do that.  I had many people tell me not to bother, but I’ve worked on spelling and grammar.  The stories are finding there way to paper.  Someday….
My dream is alive and well, and the Dream Slayers can just go attack someone else.

How do you keep your dreams alive?