Beautiful Dreamer, it’s Time!

Hello beautiful dreamer. I, too, have been a dreamer instead of a doer most of my life. At many times in my life feeling as if I was in survival mode, I had no time or money or energy for anything other than getting through a day. Everyone has a story, so perhaps you have been there too. If so, I hope you are finding your way to a state of being that is more than survival.

Since declaring that this is my year of adventure and getting out of my comfort zone, I am opening myself to actually experiencing the things I have always thought, talked, or dreamed about. This is probably in part as a result of that last birthday. You know, the clock ticking in your head thing. The result also unexpected loss of loved ones you thought would be around much longer.

I should probably also be up front about what I mean by “adventure”. Dont expect to see me sending photos from a zipline or bungee jumping or alligator wrestling. A little less exciting but equally important for me recently have included a mud obstacle course 5K and a half marathon walk. A sunset kayaking adventure with my sis and paddle boarding were quite fun. I finally made it to Sedona and can’t wait to go back. I think I need to do yoga on a vortex or something along those lines. So many more things spinning around in my head. If you haven’t started thinking about actually doing some of the things on your list, I hope your list is being built as you are reading this. Being afraid that something won’t live up to your dreams will only stop you from trying. I guess its possible of course, but I have found it to be just the opposite. There is a great quote by Paolo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, that popped into my head just now. “There is only one thing that makes dreams impossible to achieve: the fear of failure”.

My next adventure planned is the Chimayo Pilgrimage. If you haven’t heard of this, the El Sanctuario de Chimayo in northern New Mexico has a reputation as a healing site. People claim that the dirt from a room in the back of the church can heal spiritual and physical problems. People come from all over the world do this pilgrimage during holy week. Typically people are walking to the church from varying locations, some from as far as Albuquerque where I live. That is about 90 miles away! No, I won’t be walking from here, although part of me wishes I had been training for that.

In this part of the country it is an event that many families do together every year. I love that families unite for a spiritual journey, don’t you? I wish I had done this with mine. The news usually shares pictures of the crowds of people including some church groups walking together and some carrying crosses. We are talking about 30,000 people that make this walk every year! People walk on the highways, back roads, and city streets. A man I work with follows his family in the car while they walk all night to be sure they are safe. I’ve heard that people set up tables with water and fruit to support the “pilgrims” on their journey.

You may be wondering if I am Catholic and I am not. You may also wonder how I have lived in New Mexico all this time and not done this walk. I wonder that as well. From both spiritual and cultural perspectives, it feels like the right time for me to do this. I am hoping to walk with a group of women I have beautiful history with. Our ages span 30 years and I have known a few of these women for more than 15 years. From supporting me during my divorce and helping me figure out how to turn on my swamp cooler at the house I bought and learning how to be single, a few of them having children, and then my remarriage, we have been through a lot. One of the group has family in northern New Mexico and we will probably walk from their family home about 5 miles away from the church. This is something they do every year and were eager to share with us once I voiced that this was on my list.

As I am embracing my own spiritual journey and perhaps this will be an important event on that path. Or perhaps it will be a day in the sunshine with old friends and we will have yet another story and experience to add to our history. To be part of this pilgrimage and walking in a crowd of “pilgrims” just gives me goose bumps to think about. It feels like something big. Come on, beautiful dreamer, its time to choose to be a doer. What have you thought about doing or dreamed about trying? I can’t wait to hear about your leap.