Birthing a Dream

At an age when most people are retiring and hanging up their skates - enjoying time in the south or out on the golf course - I’m finally birthing a dream that I’ve had for a very long time.

I’m completing a novel I started three decades ago, but set aside as I pursued my journalism and communication careers. The story has always stayed with me, begging to be told.

I recently used the first quarter of the novel to complete a University of Toronto (U of T) creative writing certificate that I began two decades ago, but also set aside as I dealt with numerous life transitions. Most recently that included companioning both my mom and younger brother on their Alzheimer’s journeys. That’s been a heart-breaking witnessing as they each disintegrate.

The journey has been worth it, though. Not only have I matured as a fiction writer, but the U of T adjudication panel lauded my work and then pointed me on a path to publication. So, I’m finishing the last chapters of this massive rewrite with hope that I will soon publish this book.

The whole exercise has made me very aware of the importance of birthing our dreams. I like to think of it as connecting with our sacred pulse. For me, that’s the joy that makes us feel we’re truly on purpose: doing what we’re meant to do, but - for whatever reason - may not have gotten to, or finished, yet.

I believe that’s important at any age or stage since you don’t want, as spiritual teacher Dr. Wayne Dyer once said, to “die with your music still in you”.

As time runs through the hourglass of our lives, we may become aware - or more conscious - of what stops us from reaching that goal. It may be the various vagaries of life or obstacles, such as self-doubt, within ourselves. It may also be we’ve fallen prey to other people’s doubts or criticism and blocked ourselves as a protection. It really doesn’t matter what the roadblocks are. What matters is that we find a way to remove them so we can connect with our sacred pulse and live our most fulfilled lives.

That’s why I lead workshops and do spiritual companioning. While I’m only doing a little now as I finish the final push on this novel, I like to share the skills I’ve learned to overcome the hurdles that prevented me from living by my sacred pulse. It’s taken awhile to create time to finish this novel, but I’m satisfied I have - and I want to help others connect with the satisfaction of living by their sacred pulse, too.