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The Day I Met My Dream

So today's a big day for me. One of the "biggies" in my life, actually. It's the day I met my dream (if I may be a tad dramatic). You see, today - with the release of my first book, Mama's Got a Fake I.D.: How to Reveal the Real You Behind All That Mom - I became an official published author. Something I've wanted to do since I was seven, when my second-grade teacher mimeographed and then laminated a book of limericks I had written. She put them in the school library. What a thrill! Not only was I hooked on words and sentences, I knew someday I wanted another one of those books in a library.

I have no idea if any libraries have ordered my book - so I have no idea if that particular dream has been met. But that a library could - because a real book that I wrote exists (though this one's neither mimeographed nor laminated) - is a repeat of that same thrill I felt as a seven-year-old. It's goal met. A dream come true.

And yet, this "big day" isn't all that different from all the rest of my days. Ever had that? I mean, aside from the sunny skies and the 75 degree temps here in Chicago - not the usual St. Patty's Day weather - the "big deal-ness" of the day has largely been in my own head.

To be fair, I have gotten some nice congratulations on Facebook, some great emails ("Happy Book Birthday!" was my favorite), and some nice phone calls. My husband gave me a good shoulder rub and some words of encouragement and support (I'll keep these private?). My daughter thought we should buy a cake to celebrate (and then told me which flavor would be good and ate the first piece). My son asked if I was going to make a million dollars. (This still make me laugh.)

But between all this, it's been my normal work, my usual routine, my regular life. I've had articles to edit, emails to return, kids to care for, food to cook. Tonight my husband heads off to a meeting, and after the kids are in bed, I have a talk for a moms group that I have to shape and run through before I give it tomorrow.

If you could see me going about my day today, you'd never guess (unless you caught me semi-obsessively checking out my sales ranking on Amazon) a dream had been fulfilled or big goal realized.

But isn't that how it is with us leaders most of the time? We work so hard toward some big goal or some grand vision. We work with passion, using our gifts, trying to honor God in the way we lead and in what we lead toward. It's easy to think that the very world will stop on its axis when we achieve that goal.

Of course, for some leaders, this happens. Those whose goal comes with a swearing in or a coronation, perhaps. Or even a graduation or a publicly noted promotion. But for most us, our big deals and our big days, our dreams met and our visions realized simply come. With no fanfare. No huge hoopla. Maybe a cake. Maybe a nice dinner we didn't have to make. Maybe just the realization of something done well.

For me, though, this day has come with something else: a whole lot of gratitude to a God who gives us those dreams, those visions, those passions, and these gifts to lead toward them. Maybe it's because this warm sunny day has been so over-the-top, just-like-God glorious, but today - The Day I Met My Dream - has been filled with whole lot of praise for the God who's with been with me in this life that lead toward the dream. In the good parts and the messes. In the routine and in the hoopla. (Actually, sort of realizing he IS the Hoopla!)

So, anyway: I have to head off to enjoy my Book Birthday Dinner (and what's left of the cake) and try to soak in a few more minutes of this wonderful sunshine before I check my Amazon ranking again. But I'd love to hear you share how you celebrate or mark or record (or whatever it is you do) these "big days" in your life and your leadership. What do you do - or what's the proper response or reaction - when you realize your dream? What do you wish it were like?

Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on March 17, 2009 5:38 PM

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