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Big Dreams Start in Cranbrook
By Brenda Ann Babinski
Remember when you were a little kid, how you would get so excited about Christmas? For weeks you would dream about that glorious day. You imagined the lights and the presents and the food and SANTA and every other glorious thing about that day and the flutter of excitement in your belly would grow and grow until you just didn’t think you could stand it anymore.
Well nowadays I don’t feel that level of excitement for Christmas. It’s a wonderful day and I really love the family time and all of the other stuff mentioned above, but that flicker of excitement just isn’t there anymore… for Christmas.
Nowadays I get that excitement and anticipation about New Year’s Day. Now please don’t imagine that I am one to get all dressed up and head out to a fancy party on New Year’s Eve, dance and drink champagne etc., like the ending of When Harry Met Sally. (Well, okay, maybe this year we glitzed things up a bit, but normally I am in my PJs by 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve).
No, it’s not the New Year’s Eve thing that gets me all atwitter. It is simply the new-ness of it all. It is that fresh page, fresh start, NEW chance that I love. For weeks I think about what will be my New Year’s intentions, and I ponder what I have been grateful for in the previous year. You see, in my mind, on New Year’s Day, a new chapter starts. Heck sometimes a whole new book begins and the possibilities are endless. The best part is that I have finally realized that I get to write the stories in that fresh and shiny new book. It’s like getting the keys to the magic kingdom!
Is it any wonder why I get so excited?
I sometimes get really tired of being a grown up. I have always had a vivid imagination but as a grown up I have learned to logic and doubt my way out of almost all of my wildest fantasies. And I really miss those fantasies, dammit.
So this year, my New Year’s resolution is to stop being such a kill joy to my own imagination. To that end I have given myself a project this year. I love to journal and normally I write about things I am grateful for, or about esoteric spiritual ideals and guidance. But for now I have decided that I am going to free myself from any and all limitations. I will begin each day by writing about the day I could be living if there were no limitations.
If I had all of the money, time, freedom and permission to live the life of my wildest dreams, where would I be today, and what would I do? No limits is the only rule. I write a page or two first thing in the morning. I don’t have to share it with anyone, unless I really want to. And you know what? It is so much fun! And so many of the really great dreams are the little things – that really aren’t so little when you stop to think about it.
We live in one of the most beautiful natural playgrounds in the world. Every single day I think of something new I’d like to try, or place I would like to explore. In Cranbrook, surrounded by breathtaking mountains to climb, trails to hike, streams to follow, restaurants to try, world class entertainment to take in and people to meet, the sky really is the limit.
This little exercise is turning out to be the very best 15 minutes of my day.
Dr. Wayne Dyer talks about the power of imagination to create the life you want in his book Wishes Fulfilled. He says “keep in mind this basic axiom – if all that now exists was once imagined, then what you want to exist for you in the future must now be imagined.” So this is my intention: I will untether my dreams and let them be as wild and fantastic as they can be. I will allow myself the freedom to imagine a life for myself beyond the ordinary. I will allow my imagination, in all of its beauty, to guide me to a most extraordinary life.
As a (reluctant) grown up I do understand that not every dream will come true. But as a dreamer, I plan to at least give the universe a plethora of imaginings to choose from. I may be creating a whole new reality for myself or I may simply be building castles in the sky. Either way you look at it, castles in the sky are sure to improve the view, don’t you think?
And a final thought from another favourite Dr. of mine: “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.” Dr. Seuss
What are your dreams and intentions for 2016? Leave a comment below to share how you plan to make your the best yet.
