Freedom On Toast

Our daughter who is 16 was recently asked to write a paper in school describing something in detail.  She choose to describe her dreams.  How cool is that?

She has been exposed to many personal development masters, including Michael Clouse whom she had the honor to meet.  It was shortly after this meeting that she really started to think about her dreams and put them on paper and in her dream book.  Thank you Michael for inspiring that!

Here’s her paper…

Once Upon a Dream

The first time I walked into that open arena my eyes lit up like the suns hello in the morning. I couldn’t believe that we were in the third row. This would not be my first time seeing them but every time they came back they got better and better. It’s a kind of attraction when I see they’re coming.   I wonder,  “what will they bring this time?”   Like Santa Clauses’ present bag, they would reach their hands into red velvet soft bag and give me a show that makes smile from ear to ear. The show was amazing how this person could do that, and how smooth it was, like they have done it a thousand times, which they probably have. But to them it’s another day to make a little girl like me smile. Every act was like a new day to me; the way they would move and do their tricks amazed me. I was like a little girl in a candy shop with a million dollars, the possibilities were endless. This is the cirque life and this is just the beginning.

A dream is merely an image you see when you are sleeping.  Or an ambition, a cherished desire in your life.  Well most of us at this age are starting to think about colleges and our future, well I could say I have known for awhile and yes I could tell you what college I am planning on going to but you wouldn’t believe me. I was at the age of 8 when all of this started. It wasn’t my first Cirque show but it was still amazing. But this time it made my mind click, like it was a clock that had been broken for many years and then all of a sudden started working again. Right then and there, at the show, I decided I wanted to be a Cirque performer when I grew up. Well all of us have had dreams, like when we were all little we wanted to be a little ballerina who wore the little pink tutu, or a police man who had that golden shinny badge that you thought was the coolest thing ever. And now you have this idea in your head that you were really going to be a fireman or whatever you dreamed of when you were little. And I still to this day want to be a Cirque performer and I am living my dream, taking those steps to reach my ultimate goal!

The months went by like normal and then one day my mom said are you ready for circus camp, and I thought she was joking. I thought there was no such thing as a circus camp, and she was crazy. But she wasn’t lying.  We were driving past all this new scenery to me, the trees green as new grass and the road as smooth as the sky. The whole way there I was excited. And when my mom turned into this empty parking lot with this big green building in the back I started to laugh.  I did not think that the little green building was a circus. There was no pinstriped tent or clowns.  The crowds of people were here for the same reason I was. As I stepped into the building I was just ready to get through the day. But as the day went on I really started to love circus more and more. Like with a mom and a newborn, the love grew on me over time. So the week went by, every night I would go to sleep early hoping that I would be able to get to circus faster. In the morning I was like a hummingbird. The way its wings move so fast you can’t even see them, I felt amazing.  Well the week ended and so did camp, and all my family came over for dinner one night. And there was something missing.  A piece of me was left behind. It was like when you eat a pizza without cheese or the sauce, it doesn’t work without the other.  And that was me.  I was the pizza with no sauce.  My mom says that the night my family was over I wasn’t with everyone; she couldn’t find me. So she came up to my room and found me crying, the tears rolling down my face like the tires on a car.  She says that I was upset that I didn’t have circus camp anymore and I said I wouldn’t ever come out of my room. Well it turns out that the place that held circus camp also has a year-round circus school! When those words came out of my mother’s mouth it was like I was reborn. I swear I could hear angles singing like they do in those cheesy Christmas movies you watched when you believed in Santa Clause. My life was finally complete; my pizza found its sauce.

My dream was coming together.  I was taking those steps.  I went from an audience member to a want-to be to a performer, to a performer. I only have two more steps; to become a student performer, and a professional performer. Like I said before I already know what I want to do with the rest of my life, I’ve known for awhile. I know what college I want to attend and how to get to where I belong. I’ve even had those people who think your dream sucks and will fail. In the 8^th grade I rode my unicycle in front of my whole 8^th grade class. And only 5 people clapped. I went home that night and cried. After that people teased me throughout the year calling me a freak and other horrible names. I would go home from school almost every day and cry. I tried to switch schools many times but it just wasn’t worth it. And I am finally opening up again hoping people will accept me for what I do and won’t go back to what they use to do. I’m never going to let other people push my dreams around; they are my dreams, not theirs. So my next step is to get into a circus college. And even though I’ve gone through rough parts and am where I am, it gave me character, it made me who I am today, and I hope other people learn from my experiences and take my same steps.

As most people say, “reach for the stars” and don’t stop until you reach your dreams, and if things get in your way just push past. Today I am living my dream or at least most of it.  I have circus practice three days a week, and every time I’m there it’s like another chapter in my dream story. When I perform, it’s like I am that person in the Cirque show that made me want to become what I am today.

Bravo girl!  I am proud of you and excited for you to see your full dreams come true.

Love, Mom