“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.”
- T.E. Lawrence

So for some reason lately I am on this "Quote of the Day" kick. And today is just a continuation. Not only am I getting most of them from emails, but I find things people say are also influencing my interest.

Last week, I was given the opportunity to go to the Gig Harbor High School Class of 2010's graduation ceremonies. While yes I am an alumnus of the Gig, those who were freshmen when I was a senior have already taken their walk with Pomp and Circumstance. This class is one of the last ones I will still feel comfortable going to. I still have at least two more!



Anyways, to get to some semblence of a point, I must say that the class speakers this year were truly incredible. Taking risks and chances I have seen few others take. By far one of my favorite ever was that of Kenny Alfred just a year before my own graduation. He stood largely confident in front of his peers and recited his interpretation of a speech given by the President of the United States in the movie Independence Day. Obviously, hilarity ensued, but he did get his point across: To get out into the world. Because we can and we should.
During my graduation ceremonies we heard speakers tell a story of a young man building a trampoline and the fights and obstacles he had to endure. Upon a first encounter of the speech, one would think that there was really nothing in it that would relate to a high school graduation. However, upon a deeper interpretation, you could say that our clsas speakers were preparing us for the world we are now facing today. We are running into many obstacles: no job, little money, debt, etc. We have no idea what to do with our lives. Or maybe that is just me.
However, on this graduation day, I found myself being inspired to reach out. One particular speaker spoke of a different way of being, one thing I have truly been grappling with as of late. He said, in no uncertain terms, that what if our dreams are wrong. We are raised to dream and believe that we will go to college, graduate, meet our husbands or wives, have a huge house with a lot of money and nice cars, raise children and they will go on to do the same things. But what if those dreams are not fulfilling.


While it is a scary undertaking, that which makes uus happy, may not be the high paying job we are all supposed to get. I for one cannot see myself sitting at a desk for the rest of my life. My life cannot and should not solely be about making money to survive. It is just like in the toughest workout of the year in cross country. We are not meant to survive. Life is not about survuving, going through the motions to get to the next day or the next interval. Life is supposed to be about living. Thriving.
In questioning whether these dreams are the right ones, the speaker went on to say that it is ok, to find other things which make you happy. Living a life in which you are helping others. Living a life in which you get to smile everyday. Obviously money makes things less stressful and more comfortable, but does it truly make us happy?

This is our time. We must go out into the world and face these obstacles. We must face them head on, because life is going to be full of obstacles. And one of the greatest of these is going to be finding our own dreams. And as the quote at the top of the page says, taking those dreams and living them. Putting them into action. Making them a reality.

The more I thought about what I get to do, the less I realized I had to do. It was just a shift, just a new perspective, just a new and more grateful method for labeling the things in my life. Think about it—if you stopped yourself every single time you were about to say, "I have to" and changed it to "I get to," it might change your entire experience.

While checking my email one morning, I heard the expected "bing" of my Outlook Express telling me I had new mail. At times I feel a bit of excitement thinking it may be my mom sending me a "Good Morning!" or maybe I have a new coupon or save this much email. Although, I don't have the money, it is still exciting to see that I could save 30% more at American Eagle because I signed up to get their emails. Maybe I am getting a new cookie recipe! Yum!
Well on this day it was none of the above, rather, it was a wonderful Runner's World Quote of the day email. For quite sometime, I was never truly in a good mood running wise so I stopped reading them. I felt that if I did not read them, I would not feel guilty about how awful my runs were going. How much I would have rather slept and cuddled up than put myself through a few miles of pure torture.
For some reason, something was pushing me to click on this email. Open it. Read it.
Upon a quick tap of the bar a slight cringe through my shoulders causing my eyes to shut slightly, I leaned backwards trying to avoid the blow I was going to face.
Though, no blow at all. This beautiful quote. One that inspired me to immediately put on my shoes and get out the door. And fly. I hadn't done it in far too long. And I still haven't since. But I know that I can. I get to.
What if I put this quote to use in everything I do, not just running? I get to wake up in the morning. I get to run twice a day. I get to eat oatmeal with berries. I get to hang out with a seven year old every morning before I take him to school. I get to wait for someone to finally respond to my resume. I get to.
I get to believe. I get to have faith. I get to have joy in my life even when I don't think I deserve any. I get to stand up and smile every day. Especially when I don't feel like I can. I get to.
More importantly, I get to live. There are days that are definitely worse than others. Days when I just feel exhausted. Cannot move. Days when my down comforter weighs me down and feels warmer than the brisk air filling my bedroom. I don't have to get up and face the day. I GET to.

So live. love. laugh. believe. dream. achieve. take chances. Not because you have to. But because you get to.