Chasing Dreams

 Chasing dreams as an adult is a hard thing to wrap my head around, because when you become an adult (and even more so when you become a parent) means putting other people's needs or wants to the side in order to chase after your personal dreams. As a mom, putting myself first is tricky. I don't find that it's impossible like it might have been when the boys were really little and I felt like I was juggling everything on my own (Nick worked a lot more hours then and my parents didn't live five minutes away, so I was doing a lot of the day-to-day solo when we first moved away from Orange County). And then there's the mom guilt that comes with doing anything for myself. I've shared about that before, but I'm working on it! 

Lately, I've become addicted to Colleen Hoover books. I think I've read all but 2 of her 15-ish books in the last several weeks. Yesterday, I was reading the latest one, and read about her road to becoming an author in the acknowledgements of the book. It was fascinating. Her story is one of rags to riches, and the grit and dedication that it took, but also the inspiration for chasing that dream. It made me think a little harder about some of my dreams and where I am now in life versus where I thought I might be. 

I am blessed to have a supportive husband who I actually like spending time with (most days), four beautiful, healthy kids, and a career that pays the bills. The career piece is something I've struggled with immensely over the last few years. I know there is something else out there for me, and I just need to figure out what path to take and follow it. 

In the meantime, it feels surreal to be chasing a dream I've had since I was a kid - writing a book. I received the first pass of edits from my editor yesterday and am so glad I decided to use an editor because the feedback was great and I think it's well worth the expense of making sure the tone and the message of my book is clear even if someone doesn't know me or my story. The process is fascinating to me, and I think somewhere deep inside, I dream about writing more than one book. But, I'm learning to pace myself and take things one day at a time. That's something I didn't know how to do a year ago. 

What dreams are you chasing today as an adult that might be different (or the same) than dreams you chased as a kid?