It was just some girls, sitting enjoying sandwiches on a cloudy fall day when out of the blue one of my friends announced, “I want to take you to the cemetery.” Ok, now, I’ve had a lot of invitations in my day, but I can honestly say I have never been asked to join someone on a trip to a graveyard – for a Sunday drive. No one we knew had died of late, so I didn’t quite exactly know what to say.
As we piled into my car, our guide directed us to the site where we would finally discover the reason for this very odd excursion.
“Over here” she pointed. “This is a good place to stop.” There were three of us in the car. The other person that was along for the ride gave me a subtle sideways glance. Had our friend lost her mind? What on earth were we doing here?
“Now, I want you to look out there.” She calmly instructed us. “All of those people had dreams. Some just never got to live them out.”
We all grew quiet. It was clear. We now got it. She looked us straight in the eye and said, “I came here awhile back and decided that I was not going to die with my dreams.”
Wow. Talk about an object lesson. As the breezes swirled in and out of the car windows and the colorful leaves fluttered across the pavement, we sat and peered out at the gravestones. Each of processing. Contemplating. “What were my true dreams?” I thought to myself. Had I been so busy of late and distracted that I had not only ignored my inner passions and goals, but perhaps had not even taken time to, shall I say, – dream?” It was one of those memorable, learning moments. One I hoped I would not soon forget.
I came across this quote today. Thought I’d leave it with you.
“Many people die with their music still in them. Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. … Before they know it … time runs out.”
— Oliver Wendell Holmes
May you and your dreams both live to meet each other.
Best,
S.