Dreams Come True...

Creative Adventure Sundays Round 2: Make a list of dreams that have ALREADY come true.

I love love LOVE this idea! It's so easy to forget about all of our accomplishments -all of the challenges we've faced, the miracles we've experienced. Once the initial "YAY!" wears off, we forget to look back and think about the wonderfulness of our lives so far. I challenged myself to write down 100 dreams come true...goals achieved, miracles experienced. I thought it would be hard...it really really wasn't. :-)

Here they are, in the order they came out of my brain:

1. Met my true love
2. Got proposed to (not by my true love, as it happened, because I met Papa Bear through my ex...hehe)
3. Had the courage to realize that my ex and I weren't right together and broke things off with him (this was a miserable experience, but I maintain that it counts because it was Step One to a whole new life)
4. Felt myself actually Fall in love.
5. Was the Girl Someone Had a Long Term Crush On Just Like In the Movies
6. Felt more Myself with a guy (as opposed to less myself)
7. Did the proposing myself (I LOVE that I got to have it both ways!)
8. Planned a totally amazing and unique wedding that people still talk about
9. Graduated from university with honours
10. Wrote a 28-page essay in French (and got an A)
11. Won the University Medal in French (a total and complete surprise)
12. Presented a paper at a university conference
13. Toured the UK and Southern Ireland (with Contiki tours...an amazing experience and an excellent post-break-up transition)
14. Went to an arts high school as a dance major
15. Attended a summer course in NYC with the Limon Dance Company (a dream come true)
16. Performed my own choreography for an audience (several times)
17. Danced my choreography on the same stage as Evelyn Hart and Rex Harrington (I mean we were in the same show, not that they were in my pieces...but they did watch from the wings)
18. Got a compliment from each of them
19. Graduated from university with a GPA over 4.0 (because at my school they gave 4.3 for an A+)
20. Tried a flamenco class
21. Went to university in New York City (and left when I realized it was NOT for me)
22. Dance en pointe
23. Found a dance style I took to naturally (modern dance)
24. Choreographed dances that were honest emotional portrayals (and, in some cases, therapy)
25. Taught modern dance MY way (and helped myself heal old wounds)
26. Took a train across Canada on my own
27. Awakened to energy work
28. Became a Reiki master
29. Sang in front of an audience
30. Got regular shout-outs from one of my favourite bands when I went to their shows
31. Hosted a campus radio show (well, two, actually: "Moose on the Highway" at Skidmore and "Border Crossing" at Dalhousie)
32. Got a job based on my own merits as opposed to family connections (and thus avoided all of the baggage that can come with working for people who knew me as a kid)
33. KICKED ASS at said job(s) (I am a PHENOMENAL administrative assistant)
34. "Broke up with" all of my toxic mother-figures from my childhood (I had a collection)
35. Moved into a house by a lake
36. Had the courage to realize that buying wasn't right for us right now (and thus opened the way for the perfect rental)
37. Got pregnant when it felt natural and right
38. Had a healthy pregnancy
39. Gave birth to a healthy baby
40. Survived what I think was mild post partum depression
41. Successfully nursed my baby (and still do)
42. Parented against the mainstream mostly-confidently
43. Started a blog
44. Interviewed a band
45. Wrote newspaper articles for a university paper
46. Wrote 150 pages of my first novel
47. Wrote a children's story
48. Won a writing prize for a story I co-wrote with my mom
49. Discovered the link between dance, energy and healing
50. Attended a Reiki Healing Dance workshop with deeply healing and transformative results
51. Discovered Kripalu DansKinetics and attended a teacher training workshop without having ever taken a KDK class (a gamble that totally paid off)
52. Did extremely well on the final test-class of the workshop
53. Rented out space, advertised, and ran 2 terms of classes in the Halifax area
54. Was featured in a local newspaper
55. Met with a studio head to pitch the idea of DansKinetics to her (and happily released that idea when I saw that we were not compatible)
56. Happily released the business when the right time came
57. Journalled during my major epiphanies and life changes
58. Loved with my whole heart, even when I got hurt
59. Learned to knit and made a sweater
60. Re-learned to knit eight years later and made a teddy bear for my son
61. Almost got my driver's license (passed the Young Drivers of Canada course but never took the road test for the actual license)
62. Found a family doctor that I ADORE
63. Found a dentist I really like
64. Embraced shopping at the plus-sized stores, and thus have clothes I LOVE
65. Presented my dance classes at a school and a community centre
66. Did one successful Reiki Healing Dance treatment
67. Conquered crippling shyness
68. Learned more about who I am and how to be *more* myself and not hide
69. Stuck successfully to a 3-week detox
70. Lost weight by LOVING my body (twice)
71. Helped a lot of people open up and shine through dance
72. Made a website
73. Made new friends and developed older friendships
74. Bought a Mac (her name is Cynthia)
75. Bought an iPod (how did I ever live without it?!)
76. Sewed my first sock monkey
77. Sewed my first totally unique doll
78. Learned to crochet
79. Got into Harvard
80. Turned Harvard down when I realized it was not a good fit for me
81. Let Little Bear spend time without me when I realized how much I needed alone time (it amazes me how much I ADORE him when he comes back from an outing with Papa Bear :-P)
82. Took Little Bear outside most days this fall (and let him get as dirty as he wanted)
83. Began to let go of perfectionism in dance and other creative endeavours
84. Worked with a personal trainer
85. Began to get a sense of what I value and how I want to live
86. Took steps to develop that vision
87. Stayed completely away from parenting magazines
88. Only read parenting books that support my vision
89. Hung some of my own artwork in our home
90. Married someone who appreciates my dance
91. Married someone who loves and supports my "self-helpy" streak
92. Bought the wedding dress of my dreams...twice!
93. Learned to keep an eye open for teachers and mentors that the universe throws across my path
94. Surprised my parents with baby news on Christmas Day 2007 (kept it a secret for over a month)
95. Made my dad cry by putting all of his old photos into an album
96. Began to FINALLY hear some of my dad's stories (he has had an AMAZING life!)
97. Wrote down my ideas and inspiration so I can revisit it whenever I'm called to
98. Made someone so happy it hurts
99. Met a wedding/portrait photographer we ADORE (both in terms of her work and her personality)
100. Adopted two adorable kitties from a shelter and gave them a good home with lots of cuddles
101. COMPLETED A LIST OF ONE HUNDRED DREAMS COME TRUE!!

I highly recommend this exercise :-)