Dream

She captured a feeling
Sky with no ceiling
The sunset inside a frame

Of this year’s Oscar favorites, I’m smitten with La La Land. The lyrics of the song ‘Audition’ call out to anyone who’s ever dared to dream. Whether you’ve longed for life on a stage, in an artist’s studio, or in a high-rise corner office, this notion of igniting your passion—and taming your inner dragons to succeed—is one that everyone can relate to. The problem is, when we see movies like La La Land, we tend to think that’s for others—to dream and do, to envision and achieve these deepest goals and ambitions. More often, we allow our inspiration to stay dormant; we wait for things to happen to us- hoping for a sign, with a tidy list of detailed instructions attached. We may forget that from a young age, we’ve always been dreaming and creating—and that within each of us lies an abundance of divine, creative energy just waiting to be tapped. Identifying and unlocking that potential—ah, that’s the scary part!

As a young girl, I loved watching the beautiful, talented performers on the Dean Martin show—but you can imagine the reaction I got when I told people that my heart’s desire was “to be a Dean Martin Golddigger!” As a kid, my creative energy came alive when I pictured myself on the stage. And although my dreams of sequin-clad dancing behind Dean have shifted to yoga pants and my mat—to this day, I can’t see a live performance without losing myself in the players, admiring their talent and grit, and feeling their enormous energy. This creative potential, this energy, exists in all of us. But can just anyone ‘capture a feeling’? And what does it take to follow our hearts, now that we’re no longer ten years old?

It begins by practicing silence. Just think back to your own flashes of inspiration: they probably didn’t come in the middle of a sentence, but in the middle of the night—in that 3 AM flash of ‘Aha!’ that kept you up for an hour last night, the one you forgot about until just now. Maybe you were thinking of how to Fung Shui your living room, or figuring out a way to make a downpayment, or having a sudden epiphany about a line in a book. Whatever their form, these sparks of creative energy come when the mind is quiet. When we practice going inward—shutting out the noise, settling into inner stillness—the soul finally has a chance to be heard. As a result, anything you choose to do that’s mindful and reflective will lead to revelations. Your heart will let you know; you’ll feel it, and hear it calling to you. Yes, it’s beating— and that thumping creative potential is saying, “Pick me, pick me!”

So bring on the rebels
The ripples from pebbles
The painters, and poets, and plays

Here’s to the ones who dream
Foolish as they may seem
Here’s to the hearts that ache
Here’s to the mess we make

And what a beautiful mess it is!