Dream Box
Six years ago I read a story about a woman who designed a "dream book." She cut and paste any picture that expressed or depicted her desires and placed them into a scrapbook. She was a single mom of three daughters and one of her desires was to marry again. So she placed pictures of handsome men into her book. She hoped to own a house, to replace her rust bucket vehicle with a new fast car, and she had a secret desire to be decked in diamonds. Pictures of all these desires were pasted into her book. She even had a dream of honeymooning in Hawaii and found a picture of a lovely sunset and beach.
A few months after creating her dream book she was driving down the highway and began playing a game of tag with a handsome gentleman driving a very nice looking car. The two eventually met and set a date for dinner and thus began their courtship. The man imported and sold diamonds, and of course, he was looking for someone to model his diamonds. His new girlfriend was the perfect choice for the job. The two eventually married, purchased a new house, a fast car, and honeymooned in Hawaii.
The conscience is a very powerful magnet. If we listen carefully it will draw us to some of the best things in life. Every picture put in the dream book was a reflection of who this woman was and what she wanted, expressing some of her truest desires. More importantly, she had the faith to believe that her desires would come about.
When I first read about "the dream book" I was inspired and created my own variation called a "dream box." At the time I was a single parent of two young girls. I had desires for certain things, and so I selected a shoebox in which to place pictures of my dreams. In the beginning I placed pictures of towels and curtains, silverware, and plates, things I owned but hoped one day to replace. I felt foolish cutting out pictures of men I didn't know and so I wrote a few of my requests on paper and slipped them into the box.
I wrote, "I would like to marry again, this time happily, to a caring intelligent responsible man. I would like to continue working part time using the skills and knowledge I have accumulated. I would like to finish my Bachelor of Arts and then gain a counseling degree. I'd like to continue working on my books, to finish them and find a publisher." The bottom line of all these desires� I'd like a man with money, a car, a home, a degree, part time work, and published books.
I shared the idea of my dream box with my daughters. My oldest said she was going to pray that God would give me my dream box. "You deserve it mom." Well, either the dream box or the prayers, or maybe both, worked.
A few months later the first portion of my dream materialized. I met and married a wonderful man. He had a car, albeit an old Chrysler that resembled my dad's old Caprice Classic, but I didn't mind. It worked well and took us on many romantic drives. He had money, not a lot of it, but enough to take care of essentials and buy a few "wee treats" now and again. Months later it occurred to me that as I placed my wish notes in my dream box I failed to specify what kind of car, or how much money, but it didn't matter as the love he gave superceded all other expectations.
Every picture I placed in my box became a visible reality except for the final degree of my Master of Arts, and the publication of my books. Once the dream of the Bachelor of Arts was realized I stretched the dream and decided to specialize with a counseling degree. I believe the completion of the final two elements in my dream box are coming around the corner. I can feel it in the wind and I can taste it on the tip of my tongue.
I mention this story by way of encouragement. Dreaming about things to come is part of the pleasure principle of life. Create your own Dream Book, or Dream Box. The principle behind it is not magic. You don't need a special book or box to make your dreams come true, but you do need a place to start. That place serves as a reminder of what you want and what's important to you. It helps you focus and plan steps toward your dreams. Have faith that those dreams can become a reality. They may not come about exactly as you've imagined, but at least you've had the fun of dreaming. And so I encourage dreams, the more detailed the better.
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P.S. I'm selling dream boxes at 5.95, each colorfully decorated with a dream already inside. Just kidding!