“Dreams are not meant to be easy, they are meant to be pursued. The path is never straight, but if you dare to follow, it will lead you to the extraordinary.”
A Childhood Dream Takes Shape
A poignant memory of how much I loved horses, growing up on a 100-acre farm in upstate NY, was when our pregnant Morgan mare was getting ready to deliver her foal. I waited up that night as long as my mom would let me. I had school the next day, so I was sent to bed, knowing that the momma would probably deliver the baby in the middle of the night. She was tucked away in a stall, bedded with fresh straw and plenty of fresh water, as per our normal delivery routine.
This baby was special to me. I was promised that the foal would be my horse. Up until that point, I had only ponies. I didn’t even like my ponies. They were bratty, I fell off them – a lot. They were not ponies I got to pick or choose. This baby would be different. It would grow up into a full-sized horse. It would be mine.
Before the sun rose the next morning, I snuck out of the house and walked up the hill to the barn in my nightgown. I had no flashlight. I reached the mare’s stall and slowly pulled the door ajar until I could see inside. The mare was lying down. I could hear her grunting. She was in the process of giving birth. I stepped in and closed the door behind me. When the sun finally rose, my mom discovered I was not in my bed. She walked up to the barn, knowing I would be there. When she opened the sliding door, the first thing she saw was the mare, relaxed, no longer pregnant, her back foot propped up in a resting pose, her neck stretched forward, and her eyes closed. She had had a long and strenuous night.
In the corner of the stall, in a fluffy pile of straw, she spotted the newborn foal, fast asleep, her head in my lap. I was not asleep, but I was pretending. My arms were wrapped around the baby’s neck, my face resting against her soft coat. I kept my eyes shut tight. I didn’t want to leave this precious moment and go to school. However, my mother never let me miss school. The last of six kids, there was no excuse on the planet I could come up with that would convince my mom that I should stay home. She had heard and rejected them all for many years. Still, I kept my eyes shut tight and listened to the silence. My mom didn’t move. When she finally did, it was not to rouse me from my pretend sleep. I heard her retreat, then the sound of the barn door rolling shut.
Being there for the birth of my baby horse was a moment I will never forget, and my mom allowing me to remain in that precious moment – that was a miracle.
Reaching My Equestrian Dreams
As I grew up, I moved quickly through the ranks of the horse show world. I outgrew my Morgan and moved up to a bigger, faster, and very talented Thoroughbred. If you read the post, The Story of the Hanoverian, it describes my journey through my competition years. I followed my dreams and achieved most of my goals.
Little did I know my dreams would change. Once I was married and had my own horse farm, my dream still involved horses, but now it was for my daughter to achieve success in the horse world. Against all odds, our little horse club from rural New Jersey won national titles in the equestrian vaulting world, and my daughter achieved her gold medal rank in vaulting, and competed in the World Equestrian Games (WEG), the Olympics of equestrian sports.
I trained not one but two horses that competed in WEG – one in 2010 and one in 2018. I surpassed my dreams of what I could achieve with the horses I grew to know and love.
A New Dream Takes Shape
In the background of the horse world, my second love – sailing – took a back burner. I had a horse farm to run. Our lives were incredibly busy with horses. Not only did we compete on a national and international level, but during the summer, my husband spent every weekend playing polo: his obsession. Our little farm was crowded with my vaulting horses and his string of polo ponies. Our truck and trailer got pulled out almost every weekend from spring to fall, attending some competition or event with our horses. Life was a whirlwind.
Finally, Katie got married and moved to California, our oldest, Philip, was married, and Derek, the last to leave the nest, found and married the love of his life. All our kids were set. They had all begun new lives and no longer needed us. It was time to follow both Dan’s and my shared dream, a big dream, an almost impossible dream – to sell everything we owned and sail around the world.
Taking the Leap
The true fact is that 90% of the people who have this dream never leave the dock. They plan, they try, but the logistics and realities of leaving land life are a bit like standing at the bottom of Mt. Everest, knowing people do climb it, and contemplating how to get yourself to the top. It is daunting. It is impossible to be 100% ready, so those who have to have all their ducks in a row, and perfection in preparation, will never cast off the dock lines.
Dan and I certainly didn’t feel ready the day we untied from the dock and slipped away into the unknown – but the important thing is that we did take that leap of faith. I think that is the most important part of following your dreams.
The Nature of Dreams
Dreams are called dreams for a reason. They are elusive, pictures in your mind you want to make a reality. You can’t touch them, you can’t hold them, you can’t confine them and make them solid. You simply have to believe, then follow. Not everyone is willing to move forward with such a tenuous hold on what is little more than a belief, a vision. However, if you follow people who have achieved their life’s dreams, that is exactly what they did.
Now, I am following what is probably my last big dream. I live on my sailboat, I’m sailing around the world. Life is not easy, and sometimes, this dream we are following is a nightmare. However, we wouldn’t change a moment of this journey. We are ecstatic to be where we are, doing what we love, and we are so happy with our decision.
Embracing Challenges and Moving Forward
Since I have been so fortunate in my life and have followed several dreams, I am used to disappointment and failures being part of the process. These pains are inevitable when following your dreams. Those who are willing to adapt and put up with them, those who accept they are part of the process, tend to succeed. Those who give up when things get difficult – they don’t.
My dream of being a successful published author is probably the most difficult dream I have chosen to follow. It doesn’t help that I am on a boat in strange countries. I can’t do book tours, I can’t do school visits – I have to put all my faith in media and spreading the word about my books. Once again, I am facing impossible odds of being successful. However, if I have learned anything from my struggles, I have learned that I can’t give up just because things are difficult. I will continue to write, continue to blog, and continue to have faith that people will read my books.
“Dreams are not meant to be easy, they are meant to be pursued. The path is never straight, but if you dare to follow, it will lead you to the extraordinary.”
Thank you for reading this post. It means you are following me. You now might understand how much you mean to me because your support is bringing me one step closer to gaining an audience and spreading the word about my books. If you ever need help on following your dream… just ask.
My wish for you is that you find what is important to you. Even though it may be just a dream at the moment, you have the power to make it a reality. It won’t be easy. There will be disappointments and hard work, but achieving them is possible. I am living proof.
2 responses to “The Power of Following Your Dreams”
You were indomitable as a child and that has not changed! I so enjoy watching your adventures and seeing (from a far) your many successes! I pray you find continued joy and success as you pursue your dreams. Glad to know you!
Thank you Deb. I got every bit of my spirit from my mother. She is still amazing at 94! Thanks so much for following our adventures!