DREAMS

A dream is like a beacon of hope, a cherished aspiration, an ambitious goal, or an ideal that stirs your heart. But what makes dreams truly amazing is their incredible versatility. Your dream can be whatever ignites your passion and inspires you to reach for the stars. It's a canvas waiting for your unique and awe-inspiring masterpiece.

We are endlessly encouraged to follow our dreams as kids. We are pushed, supported, and praised for doing so. So what happens? All of a sudden, we hit puberty, and now we get grief for not settling for a job that we don't care about but it pays the bills. They say, "Well, that's the real world." I'd like to call "cap" on that. The world, your life, is what you make it.

For the past few months, I have been so angry with myself for believing otherwise. I let others' opinions scare me toward something more stable or typical, and now I have to make a complete 180 at 25. It's been humbling.

As you know, I am finally pursuing my dream of becoming a ocean conservationist, or a mermaid if you had asked me 20 years ago.

With the lack of experience and education, it's more than challenging to even get an email back from the organizations I look up to. It hurts, but I know one day, I will surface from a dive and look out at the boat against the horizon and let out a deep breath and maybe a tear of joy, knowing I had finally made my childhood dream come true and become the girl that little me would be so proud of.

I've mentioned before how scary it can be to chase after something you really want because you're afraid of failing. But what I didn't talk about is how equally terrifying it is to have no clue what your dream even is. Trust me, we all grapple with this at some point in our lives. Deep down, I knew I wanted to be a mermaid, but when I was stuck in my old job, I felt totally lost. I kept telling myself I didn't know what I wanted, but the truth was, I did know—I just couldn't admit it because I was scared. If you're ever feeling lost, don't worry too much because that won't last forever. Everybody has that little spark hidden somewhere inside them. Maybe it'll take a friend, an event, a song, a new job, a memory, or heck, even a random billboard to remind you, but I promise, when the time is right, you'll rediscover it.

All mine took was a week-long trip to the Bahamas and half my savings. HA. I suggest something more economical though ;)

But want to know the best part about dreams? Dreams evolve, and that's perfectly fine. We're not the same individuals we were seven years ago, and we won't be the same seven years from now. It's a beautiful journey because we have the privilege to pursue a fresh dream if we decide to do so.

So whatever it is, go get it. Life is too short not to.

My first step in 'going and getting it' was to become a certified mermaid. I am officially a PADI Open Water Diver! :) It was such a fun experience, and I will soon be getting my advanced and rescue diver certifications before my trip to Key Largo next month. Stay tuned for that blog post because it's going to be awesome!

P.S. I highly recommend that if you do want to get your diving certification, do it somewhere pretty. Lake Travis is far from typical mermaid standards.