I began this day rather "illy." Is that even a word? Anyways, it's kinda like right on the brink of being full fledged ill. My allergies/sinus come & go this time of year. I could list several other excuses as well. One main issue was that time just slipped away this morning. I had like point 2 seconds to get ready & leave to get the girls to their Art Class on time. I really needed to wash my hair but that had to wait. Not long into the ride, I wished I had chosen a different shirt. This one was uncomfortable. Overall, I felt like a hot mess & was pondering what I could do to turn my feelings around instead of them jumping off the cliff.
1st things 1st~BUY another shirt before I have a breakdown! As soon as I dropped the girls at their destination, I hit a favorite store up & found not only 1 new shirt but 2 & also a few other things. With my shirt changed & retail therapy underway, I came across this sign:
I just stood there lost in thought, snapping this picture. I began reflecting on good things. My illy mood vanished. You know, dreams really do come true! My thoughts immediately ran to years ago when I asked Nathan if he could do anything he wanted, what would it be? At first he reacted as if I had asked him the silliest, most unthinkable question ever. Until that moment, he had never even realized that he could actually choose to work a job he loved. In a few moments, he answered Taxidermy, & his dream was born! Here we are, YEARS down the road (literally 2 miles away to be exact). He worked 10 years at 2 jobs. His Taxidermy shop consisted of a storage building during that time. We lived on a dirt road on land that wasn't even our own. Now fast forward to the present...We purchased a small pecan orchard on the main highway in order to have the frontage for the business. We moved our home to the land as well. Our business has since expanded to include Custom Processing & has grown by leaps & bounds every. single. year! Here's a visual:
South GA Taxidermy Then & Now
We also literally laugh out loud at some of our dreams that fizzled. Any of you have those? Some are probably not as comical as ours. We once drove down the interstate at the beginning of our marriage wishing we owned a camper. Thank heaven above that God truly knows best! It was a fleeting dream. We are so thankful that we never swooped into one of those lots & purchased. No, we are not against anyone who has that dream. It's just not ours. We LOVE to travel to all sorts of different places. We simply do not want to spend 20 grand or more on something that limits our choices. We can, instead, take all that money that we saved by NOT purchasing (plus the insurance, repairs, storage, etc) & travel most anywhere we want to go for YEARS!!! That has surely been a blessing to us since traveling together is one of our main pleasures in this life.
Dream uniquely! Dreams are your own. We are living ours. Besides what I've mentioned above, we pastor & are involved in a ministry that has us by the heart strings. We are also raising 5 children which we homeschool. No doubt all of those things collectively wouldn't equal anyone's dream that's reading even though many of my blog posts are read over 1,000 times. Guess what else? We aren't into vehicles & living in a mansion isn't our priority either. We are happy owners of a family van. We buy new for reliability & not for looks. It's just simply our transportation for trips. After said trips, many times we leave it looking as if it could be condemned! Just imagine 7 eating ice cream, 4 being 10 & under! It's just more important to us that they enjoy our adventures than having rigid riding rules. They are only little for a short while. After all, our family van was never bought as an investment looking for a return. My point is that for everyone, priorities are different. Some desire swanky cars, big homes, & PHDs. That's great! I am thankful for everyone that possess talent in areas that I do not. We all need doctors, lawyers, mechanics, engineers, & life would just certainly be drab without artists. Celebrate individuality. It takes guts to go against the flow & plow your own way. Life is too short to let other's dictate your happiness.
Dreams are birthed. Some grow, & some fizzle. I could see how some could quickly turn into nightmares. Don't let that kill your spirit. Let go. Don't water dead plants. Never forget that some dreams turn into reality! Everything starts with a dream!
BE BRAVE
DARE TO DREAM ON
May you find yourself living your dreams!
