Wednesday Way – pursuing dreams

Have you ever had a dream goal, but never knew how to get started to achieve it? I have! Actually, I have held many dreams, not the kind where I’m sleeping yet it feels like reality, but dreams of being something I wasn’t. I have always had the feeling that I could do better or be better at this thing called life. It doesn’t matter what age you start pursuing your dreams… age is just a number they say! We are supposed to go to college at the delicate age of 18 and just magically know what we want to do in life for a career?! What?! I didn’t even know who I was at that time! Living only 18 years and supposed to know what I want in life, when I don’t even know what the world has to entirely offer?! Nope. There’s no way, well, at least for me. It took me until the age of 35 to really dive into what I wanted and to commit to it. The funny thing is, I’m pursuing dreams I held as a child! I needed to be 35 to have the motivation to pursue it, because at 18, I thought it should just be handed to me with no work involved on my part. Funny, huh?! So here’s what I did….. I became a 35 year old woman wondering if I would regret not ever trying one of my passions. Also, at that age, I was established with a husband, two children, and a full time job! I got this overwhelming feeling that I wanted to prove to my children that no matter what age you are, your dreams can come true. I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a Broadway star. Yeah, of course it isn’t actual broadway at this point in my life, but I was more than happy to dive on in with a local theatre company. January of 2019, I started voice lessons for adults. I did okay, but I don’t know how to read music. Yikes! I have to know how to read music?! I was able to get three months worth of private singing lessons before my first audition. Now, here’s the funny part.. I found out about this theatre through Facebook and took my oldest son to go see them perform in “Hairspray!” I was so impressed, and my son was soaking up our view from the front row seats! So, I researched and found them on Facebook. I saw that they were holding auditions for a summer musical called “Working.” That was the first day I spoke to Sharon! A year later, she is considered family to me! I asked her if I needed experience to audition and she said no, just come prepared with two songs. So I went, and I showed up in my off the shoulders top, a handmade beaded necklace from my 4 year old for good luck,and a smile on my face. Yep! I did that! Because at 35, what do I have to lose? I landed a role… and not just that, I landed multiple roles in one musical. I danced, sang, acted, and most importantly, I found the love I have been craving for since I was a little girl. Ever since my first performance on stage, I did two more shows with them. All in one year! I did a comedy in the musical “Animal Crackers” with the oh-so-funny Marx Brothers! I was a man! With a glued on mustache, singing group numbers, and performing in a duet, I was a man. My husband was away at that time with the military, so I brought my two boys with me to every rehearsal. They actually loved it! It’s like they were behind the scenes of a Hollywood movie. I wish!! And then, something really crazy happened! In December of last year, I auditioned for a role in a Christmas Special with Bing Crosby show with this same theatre group! I landed my first solo. I am not joking when I say that I perfected the song only two days before the show began. It was scary, intimidating, but I didn’t give up and they didn’t give up on me.. even when I asked them if they wanted to give my solo to somebody else. I performed two shows in one day as Peggy Lee on a Bing Crosby Christmas Special, singing the enchanting song of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” I felt like I was going to pass out on stage with that spotlight on me, but I did it! This is so fulfilling. To pursue and actually achieve your dreams, you need to be motivated! You need to understand that it doesn’t come easy and even if there are times where you feel discouraged, you keep walking forward towards that goal. No matter what! There were times I felt like giving up, especially the time where I couldn’t get two lines of a song in the right key to sing as a solo part in the introduction song. It’s okay… they added another cast member to sing that part with me so I didn’t fully lose that part. That was my first performance and only two shows later, I landed a solo part! It can be done with hard work! If you want it that bad, then nobody is holding you back but yourself. You can do anything you want to do in this world, and trust me, when you get there.. it will leave you with a fulfilled heart, confidence, feeling of self worth, and value in this world.