Dreams Are What We're Made Of...
I’ve been thinking…
Are dreams what we’re made of?
We all have dreams. Some we keep, some go deep, some fall by the wayside. But don't fool yourself, somewhere buried in the busyness of our daily lives, lying in wait, aching to be invited back to the table, are our dreams. These are the dreams that are big enough to sustain through the blurriness of confusion, the test of time, and the interference of our doubts and insecurities, to last over a period of years. These dreams, I believe, are the ones that define us. They expose layers of our best self, and I argue, they are what we're made of.
A Garden of Dreams
Dreams don't usually pop up out of nowhere. Something usually sparks a faint glimpse of an idea which when nurtured can become a full fledged determination, "This is important, one day, I'm going to make this happen." I like to think of these ideas as "dream seeds".
For me, a good example began in late August of 1987. My Dad brought me to Yosemite Valley (YV) for the first time. I was 17. Leading up to that day, I had always loved the outdoors, neighborhood camping trips, hiking in the hills around my childhood home, breathing in fresh air and so on.. So one could say that the seeds were already planted, and this trip to YV was nurturing those seeds.
The day before our hike to the top of half dome, we hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls. We thought it would be a good warm up for what was to come, and it was! When we reached the top of the falls we found the water to be low that year, so low that we were able to dangle our heads over the notch of trickling water where Yosemite Falls flowed like a torrent off of the 1,430 foot drop for much of the year. I looked out, took in the view deeply, and felt the magic of expansive freedom that nature could bring to my inner most soul. What a thrill it was to be in such a place with beauty beyond my wildest dreams.
The next day, at the beginning of the half-dome hike, we came to the trailhead. There was a sign with several locations and their distances. It included Vernal and Nevada Falls, Little Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Merced Lake, and more. At the bottom of the sign was the longest of hikes called the “John Muir Trail”, which was labeled as 211 miles long! Although I thought that to be impossibly long for anyone to hike, reading it planted a seed of curiosity and wonder in me so strong that I began to dream of the possibility of actually doing it one day.
We went on to climb Half Dome that day, with 17 miles round trip and over 4,800 ft. of elevation gain. It was quite an accomplishment that my Dad and I still reminisce about today.
Well, that was the beginning for me. I can honestly say that the dream of hiking the John Muir Trail is one that, at least partially, defines me. It holds so many qualities that I value. My love of nature and our planet in its most pristine state, pure and clean as a newly born child. Evidence of Man's impacts, while present, are less detectable.
The JMT also holds the physical and mental challenge of mileage and elevation, that pushes one's body to its absolute limits. Pushing limits, getting out of my comfort zone, living life fully, learning what we are truly made of, all come from looking at a sign that says 211 miles and saying, "I’m going to do that one day."
Like many of you, I'm a fierce environmentalist with a goal of protecting our planet both for us today and for future generations. I'm certain that this JMT dream was born out of this concern for man's impact on our planet which I've felt from a very young age. Keeping this dream alive meant keeping my goals of fighting for the environment alive. In that way they were glued together, because when I'm out there in nature, my appreciation for the wildlife, trees, water, land, grows, just as my Compassion for the degradation that is becoming more and more visible grows.
Looking back, from being 17 years old to today, I've been a practicing environmental consultant; I've become a teacher, facilitating several Service Learning environmental programs in three international schools that I've taught at; I've consistently advocated for environmental initiatives; I've supported the Center for Biological Diversity, voted for political leaders who fight for the environment, and worked on my own personal impacts through a variety of ways. I'm far from perfect, yet I care and maintain a goal of fighting for and protecting it through action. So, I continue to ask the question, are dreams what we're made of? In my case, I can see a clear connection between this dream of hiking the JMT and who I am. I believe it to be true.
That said, making this hike happen always had some sort of obstacle in the way, mainly other priorities, like doing my job well! Setting aside weeks, setting up my gear, training for it, and making it happen, all became challenging. Funnily, a strange unfolding of circumstances that included quite a string of difficulties (i.e. Covid-19, military coup in Myanmar, getting laid off, etc..) resulted in an odd opening up of time. One door closes and another one opens... It was the right time, a time of Sabbatical, stepping back, and living out this important dream.
On September 13th, 2021, I began hiking the John Muir Trail. And thanks to my awesome faithful hiking and traveling companion, Marc Feyh, I wasn't alone! A lot of preparation went into making this happen and as you'll see in upcoming posts, it has not been without some pretty extreme challenges. Please stay tuned for JMT Part 1 - Yosemite to Florence Lake Blog Post and Video.
Get out there and chase your dreams!!
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