Why is Daring to Dream Essential? (Part Two)
Thanks to everyone who reached out to share your thoughts and resonance with Part 1 of this multi-part series about why Daring to Dream is Essential! If you missed my last email, you can hop on the party bus here.
A brief recap on pain:
→ it is a signal there is something that needs our attention
→ it hurts so we don’t ignore or miss things that might put us at risk
→ it’s a survival mechanism
Not all pain is bad, but it’s essential to be curious about the nature of any pain or discomfort before simply addressing it as a symptom.
For instance, it could be dangerous to treat a fever with Tylenol without knowing the nature of or addressing the source of it.
In my last email, I talked about acute, traumatic pain and how it is often a much more straightforward, direct signal to us that something needs our immediate attention, such as my broken leg example.
Now, let’s begin unpacking why Daring to Dream is essential to traverse life and its challenges.
With my broken leg, the prognosis was surgery, 6 weeks of non-weight bearing (being home with your leg up), and a year-long road back, starting with learning to walk again from an adult-sized toddler wobble. Daunting AF!
As this prognosis came down, there was physical pain from the injury and emotional distress over what was going to be lost and what was to be faced along the healing journey. Understandably.
How does one mobilize each day to traverse the pain, loss, uncertainty, frustration, and challenges to do the hard things it will take to make a full recovery possible?
A DREAM!
In this case, the initial dream was simply TO WALK AGAIN!
After my injury, I suddenly found myself dependent on loved ones for the most basic self-care tasks. The ability to walk and have independence became an incredibly profound and compelling vision to mobilize me.
But, in the day-to-day grind of recovery, the dream of simply walking again can start to lose its power.
Humans are very resilient, adaptable beings, even in horrendous conditions. If we don’t have a compelling vision or connection to what we need or desire, we adapt to our current circumstances, and they will become normalized. As we go, we will find some disquieted comfort in the familiarity of our experience and settle into it.
How do you avoid settling into a life of disquieted comfort in situations that are not good for you?
Dare to Dream!
You might think, “But I thought you had a dream…to walk again.”
I did, and it was pretty compelling to get me through surgery and those first weeks of acute recovery. But, as the dog days of recovery set in with painful and all-consuming rehab, along with the exhaustion and frustration of trying to do basic daily tasks impaired, I needed more to hold onto.
My dream needed some more life and texture in it!
Here are some questions that infused my dream with new energy:
Why do I want to walk again?
Where do I want to walk?
With whom do I want to walk?
How do I want to feel when I walk?
With these questions, I started diving deep into my values and what matters most to me.
My dream of walking again became infused with all the connections in life that matter most to me and some new ones gained from this challenging experience.
When I am in pain or when I struggle to motivate myself to do my endless rehab exercises, I think of my dream and pull a thread of it.
One thread was that I would be able to do a hike when my friends came to visit in late October. It seemed a stretch for where I was at in my recovery, but I profoundly wanted to get out into the fall air in the forest with my loved ones.
Over the weeks and months, anticipating their visit, I envisioned this hike we would take together. I pictured the fall colors and the leaves falling all around us. I felt the cool air on my face. I smelled the fresh air and earthy forest floor. I connected to the sensation of my legs feeling strong and carrying me up the hill. I saw our smiling faces and heard our laughter as we talked. I felt the joy and freedom of being on the trail and the playful kid energy I have when I’m sharing a hike with people I love.
Each time I envisioned this hike, I added more detail and texture.
This is an embodied vision that emerges from daring to dream.
The week before their arrival, I worried my dream wouldn’t manifest. But there was still a silver lining. The vision of being able to do that hike had mobilized me to make some incredible strides in my recovery. I was going into the visit stronger and more capable of doing the activities I wanted to share with them because of this vision’s motivation. I was THRILLED with my progress and grateful for how my dream had helped make it happen.
And this is how dreams often work. They provide us purpose, direction, inspiration, meaning, vision, energy, passion and intention.
When we move through life with a vision connected to our heartfelt desires, amazing things can happen along the way.
The journey to the dream often becomes the best part of it all.
I’m happy to report that when my friends arrived, we were all surprised by my ability to do a hike. It wasn’t the big one I had dreamed of, but it was the perfect one for us that day!
More parts will come in this Daring to Dream series…so stay tuned. We are heading into the pains and discomforts of capitalistic and patriarchal culture that rob us of our authentic dreams, and how Daring to Dream can help us reclaim our soulful journey in this life!
I wish you all a beautiful fall weekend, with lots of cozy rest and all the things that lighten you up!
With love and solidarity,
Annie
