We’re lucky. We have a lot to be thankful for, and even though we should be (and probably are) thankful all the time, we get one entire day devoted solely to thankfulness…and seeing how many types of pie we can sample before we start regretting it.
Your thankfulness-list probably includes your awesome family and friends, your dog, your health, and maybe even your job.
This year, I realized, I’m also thankful for dreams.
That’s cliché, right? It totally is…but clichés are clichés for a reason. I’m thankful for the ability to dream, because think about what a dream is: It is hope. It’s a catalyst for change. It’s the chance to imagine a world better and kinder and more just (and full of more Chipotles) than we have now. Pretty powerful stuff.
Before you say it, I’ve got you—I know all the limitations: How can you follow your dreams when you’ve got rent to pay and classes to pass and things to do? Dreaming seems hard; impossible even. But the thing is, we’re dreaming all the time, whether we mean to or not. When you’re awake in the middle of the night or daydream-procrastinating at work or school, what are you wishing for? If the world could be any way you wanted it, how would you want it to be? How would you want life to feel?
Reality is scary—because what if you don’t get the job or pass the class or pay the bill? It is no secret that terrible things happen in our world—which is why dreaming takes courage. Dreamers are the bravest of us all. We need them.
Because I’m a nerd, I can tell you the Latin root “cor” means “heart.” And “cor” is the root that created “courage.” Courage is a heart word. Dreams are heart things. Dreams are little pieces of courage—and I’m thankful for that courage.
When you think about it, dreams are more than “I want to be the next Beyonce!” or “I’m going to be a billionaire!” Dreams are the foundation on which action is built…and it is incredible to realize that we—just ordinary people like us—have the ability to create that action.
So this year, as a bonus round (a.k.a a second plate…) of thankfulness, in addition to being grateful for the awesome people in my life, I’m thankful for the people—from grown-ups to kids and everyone in between—who follow their hearts, move through their fear, and choose to dream up a future that’s happier, more fun, and more helpful, where we want less and give more, are cool with helping each other, and spread love around like confetti.
I’m thankful for the dreamers…because they give us a world to believe in.
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Rainesford Alexandra
Communications
The Monday Life
@Rainesford
(PS: Need help finding your dream? The Monday Life founder Joey wrote about that here.)