Becoming Mojo

"Have a dream so big that you can never achieve it. 

Then become the person who can."

Digging through some old boxes, I found a book of quotes that my Daddy left me before he passed away twenty-five years ago. (That's not hoarding, is it?) Flipping through it, I noticed that at some point in my life, I turned the corner down on that particular page. It got me to thinking about dreams and how so many people go through life without them.

This week, I am working in my hometown a majority of the time. Being there reminds me that I never really did "fit" while growing up. (After years of therapy (aka beer), I am ok with going back.)  I was (and still am) a dreamer. I knew I was destined to get out of that town and chase my dreams. While most of my friends were getting married and having babies, I was embracing a radio career and doing stand-up comedy. My good friends were spending their nights changing diapers and scrap booking while I was writing and dreaming of being a published author. While they were planning family trips to Disney, I was planning a solo girls' weekend that consisted of baseball, beer and concerts. Growing up, I always felt there was something wrong with me 'cause the thought of being "normal" completely freaked me out.  My friends often told me I needed to "grow up" and "fulfill my destiny." Each time one of them said "Fulfill your destiny", I imagined Darth Vader using the force to get me to submit to suburbia.

Flash forward a few years and here I am, in my hometown, embracing who I am. Dare I say I am even proud of who I am? Those dreams that others told me I was crazy for dreaming are finally coming true. I was recently chosen to write a book review that will be published in a national magazine. I have offers to revive the stand-up routine if I choose. My real estate career is soaring to new heights. I just booked my plane tickets for a summer of fun, travel and the annual girls' weekend in Philly (with the obligatory Justin Timberlake concert, filled with teenage-level screams). 

The point of this rambling is to tell others to never, ever give up on their dreams. Fight for them. Keep them close. Ignore the cries to be "normal". Who wants to be normal in this crazy, mixed-up world?