When I was younger and living in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado I used to spend a lot of time looking to the west where the rockies shimmered in the sunlight in winter and in the wonderful colors of summer. I’d daydream of being there constantly. And as I continued to grow, so too did my dream of walking the mountains.
For some reason when I was there, I felt a calm that can only come from being where a person belongs. A feeling of serenity and yes, happiness. Once I was old enough to drive, I’d go find a quiet spot in the mountains and there I’d daydream as well. I’d dream of climbing those formidable mountains that I felt so at home with. I wanted to taste the air that I knew would be so cool and just taste fresh. I wanted to look around me and see what these glorious mountains looked like from above.
Over time I gathered the tools I’d need to make a climb and re-learned my map and compass. I spent a lot of time preparing for my first hike as I knew I’d be making that hike alone. And then one day I stepped onto the slopes of Greys peak, a mountain fairly close to Denver. The first thing I noticed as I passed tree line was how alien everything looked. The trees had become short little bushes behind me and looking above I saw that there was only tundra on the slopes ahead, ending near the top where only boulders and snow existed even in the summer.
I reached the top and felt a kind of pride that can only come from achieving a goal that was once a dream. I climbed many more of these peaks over the years, always longing to live among them. And in the end as life would have it when we dream, I did find a way to live in this incredible place of my dreams!
My next dream wouldn’t begin until way later in my life. That dream was the dream of quitting smoking and in a way that’s how my journey started. By dreaming of a life free of my addiction. A life where I could follow other dreams simply by removing the clutter of my addiction. So long as it was just a daydream, I was fine.
Of course all of that changed the day I got serious. That was when my internal thoughts became thoughts in turmoil. I began losing sight of my dream of freedom as the fear of creating that freedom set in. And so many times because of this, I put this dream on hold. But the idea of quitting kept resurfacing like a recurring nightmare until the day that I grabbed hold of the idea and began focusing on it.
Over time, I knew what I had to do. I had to make this dream as powerful within my being as my dream of living in and climbing those mountains. That was the main focus of my preparation. But there was a difference between my dream of climbing and my dream of quitting smoking. The difference was that I wasn’t sure how to accomplish this new dream and so I set out doing what I did when I prepared to climb that first mountain. I was working to make my dream of freedom so powerful that I couldn’t lose.
Just as when I prepared to climb that first mountain, I began assembling the tools I would need. And I worked hard on seeing myself in my minds eye as a nonsmoker, because this had to be the dream. You can’t move on into something new until you can at least get a glimpse of that world.
Over time I did create that dream and over time I lost my fear of reaching for that dream. I even used Mt. Freedom to help me to see my goal more clearly because climbing was something I understood and was something I once dreamed of.
And in the end I did find that dream of freedom. I did move into that world. Into the dream that I had created so long ago. Sure, there was a little damage along the way from my past life of addiction. I can’t climb quite so high anymore but you know what? It doesn’t matter because I’m now living my new dream. I’m now feeling that peace that I always knew was there.
And now I create another dream simply by grooming my yard and sometimes when I’m out there I’ll glance up at those fourteeners and it always puts a smile on my face for you see, it reminds me that I’m now living a better life. One that I could only dream of before. And that with that new life comes a happiness and contentment that in the beginning I could only dream of. I hope your dreams come true!
ONWARD TO FREEDOM!!!
Chuck
