My Dreams

A friend asked me today what my dreams were....she really made me think, so I'll post some of my rambly ponderings.

My dreams? I have many. I have a teaching credential and I love working with children, but it's hard to know what I will do for them. I get so drained by a whole class, but I am energized by working one-on-one or in small groups. Maybe that's because I want my own children so badly, but it's also my personality. I go a little nuts from all the bustle of a classroom, and I have to constantly battle between the desire to allow my students more freedom (stick it to the man!) and the desire to keep the classroom orderly and quiet (mass hysteria, anyone?).

I'm very excited, because yesterday I saw a listing for a teaching position that is for a Teacher in a program that works with children who are English Language Learners. I love the idea of working with a few kids each hour, children that really need extra help. I don't know if that's what I will continue doing, but I know I'll find my niche.

I also dream about my own children. I have a tendency to live in the future, and it's hard to teach other people's children without thinking about how you will raise your own.

Have you ever shared one of your favorite foods or books with a child and then watched them grow to love it, too? That's what teaching really is about, helping children to discover what they've been missing in the world around them, and helping them to value the unseen, unthought, and untried.

I guess that's why I love talking so much! Cause I get to share and discover with another person. If you've ever had a three hour conversation with me, you know what I mean.

The more I care about a person, the more I love these times, so it's no wonder I get impatient for my own family.

I also dream about improving my talents. I want to experience things, sing more, act more, write more, push beyond my abilities. In some ways I feel untapped.

That's why I'm so excited for this play! It's a little cheesy, because it's for families, but it's meaningfully simple. My character, Barbara, represents each member of the audience. She starts in Heaven, comes to earth, lives her life, and then goes home. She struggles, like I have been lately, with a sense of not being enough, not getting to the point, not finding her purpose and achieving her goals. There are so many distractions.... If you don't want to wait for August, you can watch this video on YouTube. Just be warned that the costume I will wear is VERY different from this girl's:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YGj5FqBpF1k

Thanks for letting me ramble on like this, it is good to take your dreams out and really look at them once in a while, to make sure you're doing right by them.

Have you ever seen Lady in the Water? It's a wonderful movie about dreams and how important they are. It's pretty metaphorical, so if that's not your cup of tea, you might find it lacking, but I love it. It made me realize that we have a responsibility to PROTECT and NOURISH our dreams.

Think about that, and let me know....

What are your dreams?