Merit Badge - Dare to Dream

Ginger of Literally Inspired challenged her readers this week to complete the "Dare to Dream" badge from the book "You Can Do It".

I've been thinking about this for a few days. I realized that as I'm nearing my mid-fifties, my dreams are a wee bit different from Ms. Ginger's.

My family is grown and now they're starting their own families. My husband & I downsized nearly seven years ago and life is simpler. So are my dreams. I still will Dare to Dream them and list them to earn my badge. So far I have a few - I'm still thinking...

1 - Be a vital part of my daughters, son-in-laws and grandchildren's lives (even though miles separate us physically).

2 - Find the missing pieces to my large tree of ancestors. I'm working on this now.

3 - Continue to learn something new - every day. Today I learned - Eggplant can actually taste good if prepared correctly.

4 - Take my grandchildren (& their parents) to Disney World.

5 - Visit Niagara Falls. I've always wanted to see this powerful place.

6 - Take a moment during my day to breathe slowly and appreciate the life I have. I am actually living my dream.

7 - Continue to appreciate the small things in life (i.e., a sunrise, a small child's smile, a butterfly on a bush).

There are more I'm sure. I'll add them as I think of them. I do know that this quote by William Arthur Ward is true...

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.”