Adam introduced me to this website called Stumble Upon. You sign up, put in your interests and you "stumble" around the web. Mostly it overwhelms me. How is a person supposed to find anything when there are so many voices clamoring for our attention?
Sometimes it makes me feel like I should be doing so much more than I am...and sometimes it energizes me.
I remember the summer I lived in New York, being the uh, outgoing person that I'm not, I did't talk to many people. Just people in my classes mostly. And I'd ride the subway and walk the streets and sit in Broadway shows and marvel at how many people there really are in this world.
And every one of them has a story.
And most of them, I'll never know.
I was struck by the sadness of that. Because people are amazing. And stories are meant to be told.
I think a bit of my idealism died that year. Not in a bad way, just in an eye-opening, maybe there is more to this world sort of way. The world is so much bigger than me.
So sometimes when I get down about something, I put it in that perspective. It helps.
Anyway, this morning, I stumbled on this website. And it was one of those inspiring moments. They took an abandoned house in New Orleans and turned it into a sounding board, a place to think, a place to profess your dreams...
In bold letters, the words BEFORE I DIE...
And then chalk and places for passers-by to fill in the blanks. People with stories...and dreams...
I read a lot of the responses...and in the back of my mind, for so many of them, I was thinking "What's stopping you???" I mean, obviously the one that says "Meet Justin Bieber" may have some security to deal with... but some of the other ones..."Care for a dog...", "Learn to play mandolin..."
They're so attainable.
I think sometimes our dreams are just waiting for us to make time for them. And we don't because we're too wrapped up in our daily lives to give them their due...but with something like this, you put it out there. You whisper it on the wind and when you do that, words have a way of coming back to you.
Sometimes, we just have to say them out loud. Write them down. Recognize them. Give them their place.
It's something to think about, no?
What would you write? What dream is waiting for you just around the corner?
BEFORE I DIE I WANT TO... ???
