It's Never Too Late to Dream
Do you remember when you were a kid, and a well-intentioned relative or neighbor asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up? Your answer may have been a fireman, a famous athlete, or an astronaut. But as you got older, your dream may have seemed like foolish kid stuff.
Going after a dream can be a terrifying experience. We often begin with a mental list of reasons we can't do something; I don't have the money. I don't have the time. Who am I to think I can do this? In effect, we fail to begin. Do you have a dream you regret not having pursued? What was it?
My life changed after Dian Fossey's murder on December 26, 1985. My husband David and I last saw her on August 23rd when we were forced to flee her research center.
Here's a quick recap. I'm retracing my steps with my friend Dian Fossey, whose passion for mountain gorillas led to their narrow escape from extinction. Dian had childhood aspirations of becoming a veterinarian; however, early academic struggles transformed her dream into a legendary one. Her deep-seated desire to help animals is one of the most remarkable modern-day species survival accounts we have.
In the same vein, I’m writing a murder mystery. What do these have in common, you may ask?
Dian's tragic death remains a mystery. However, over the years, I've obtained documents some said were lost forever during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Piecing together Dian's murder mystery puzzle is a passion of mine and a part of my journey. I'm eager to share my story and Voices from the Mist with you. Thank you for reading and following my progress.
Ever since my father told me, "You can do anything you want in life," I have. I didn't realize what I was doing at the time; I just knew it worked, so I kept doing it. I reverse engineered each of my dreams by deciding first to just do it. Then, I figured out how to do it and took daily baby steps toward each dream until I achieved it. Hitching cargo boats up the Amazon, climbing Machu Picchu, and volunteering with Dian Fossey in her quest to save mountain gorillas are just three dreams I reverse-engineered into reality. I hope you have someone in your life to inspire you. If not, consider me a new source.
Maybe you've had a dream, but you don't feel you're in a position to achieve it. Take a step back and look again. Perhaps you can access it from another angle. For instance, if you live, eat, and drink competitive sports and would love to compete but lack the physique required to contend. Look at the coaching angle, the attorney angle, the sportswriter angle, the accountant angle, or the outreach angle. You can still achieve your dream by being in the midst of the action in an alternative capacity. The options are endless, so keep dreaming.
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