Support4Change Blog

August 17, 2009
By Renee Payan Wong, Webmaster, Support4Change.com

Arlene will be on hiatus from the Support4Change Blog, while working on the Better Tomorrows Program. In the meantime, I will provide you with what I think of as Arlene’s “Greatest Hits.” This post is a Take-a-Break from the Support4Change website.

What have you let die and whither inside of you?

As the years slip past, so, too, do some of the dreams we’ve had of things we wanted to do, but became too busy and preoccupied to finish, or even in some cases to start. And then, when we know the years we have left are dwindling fast, we can easily relegate those dreams to the trash heap of our personal history. Perhaps only when we lie dying will we consider what Norman Cousins said many years ago:

The important thing is what we do while we’re alive. The great tragedy of life is not death, but what dies inside us while we live.

Today’s Take-a-Break suggests you not let that happen, but consider what have you have let die and whither inside of you. For example, did you once want to write poetry or paint or play an instrument, even though you realize you don’t have the greatest of talent? Is there anything at all, even something that others may have thought was foolish, that you once wanted to do — but then abandoned? Is it absolutely impossible for you to bring those dreams back to life? If not, what steps might you take today to make the dream a reality, even if it is in diminished form?

Incidentally, it was hard to decide which category of Take-a-Breaks this belonged to, quick, moderate, or longer. After reading this, you might very quickly know what dream you’ve let die and decide to revive it. Or you may need to spend some time pondering the answer. However long it takes to think about a dream, please don’t let that dream die again.

There are almost always ways to change a dream to meet new circumstances. For example, if you’ve always wanted to write, but know you haven’t the energy to get a book published, there’s always the Internet. Perhaps you can offer a commentary or story that will affect the lives of others in the comments.

©1998 Arlene Harder

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