Bloom Where You're Planted

In watching the Winter Olympics over the past few weeks, it struck me that many of these athletes more than likely became athletes because of where they were born or living at the time they became passionate about their sport.

I know that's not always true -- examples like the Jamaican bobsled team, the lone athlete from the Philippines, who was a figure skater, and even a skier or snowboarder who was from Indiana. Hmmm.... I don't recall many mountains in Indiana.

But how much does geographic location influence our life choices?  I'm a military brat, so we moved frequently.  In elementary school, we lived in Virginia.

I loved Virginia! The beaches were great. I loved learning about colonial history.  I loved the field trips to Jamestown and visiting Williamsburg. I could see myself attending the College of William and Mary and hanging out in Williamsburg or at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. for the rest of my days.

Alas, the military moved us again -- to New Mexico.  New Mexico couldn't have been much different from Virginia!  As our location shifted, so did my dreams. Throughout middle school and the beginning of high school, I knew I was going to California.  I was going to attend UCLA and work in the entertainment industry. That was my plan. I was going to make it big in Hollywood.

But plans change. In the middle of high school, we were transferred again. This time to Austin, Texas.  Yep, it's true. Texas is like a whole other country.  And Austin had a great university right there, so I ended up close to home, going to the University of Texas (Hook 'Em Horns). My entertainment dreams were still around, because I studied studied Radio, Television and Film.

Geography did have an influence on my life. I haven't been to Virginia since I was a little girl.  I have never lived in California.  Now, I did work for 15 years in Radio and Television -- in New Mexico, so that dream never died. It just moved with me to where I was living at the time.

Six and a half years ago, my husband got a job in the Dallas area.  Dallas?  No, if I was living in Texas, it should be Austin or San Antonio.  Dallas wasn't even on my radar.

But guess what?  We love it here.  Like any good military brat, I know how to make wherever I'm living be "home."  And this truly does feel like home to me.

While there are some who will leave home to pursue their dreams -- the Olympic athletes who go to where the best training facilities are, who learn the love of their sport from growing up surrounded by that sport -- most of us will bloom where we're planted.  It may be a different place than our childhood home or it may be the place where we're born and raised and "everybody knows your name."

In all my dreams of Williamsburg and Hollywood, even Austin, I never thought about Dallas. It's a good thing God knows best.

I believe that God has me right where he wants me -- and I need to bloom right here.

I wouldn't change a thing.

What Drives You?

I need some help and advice, friends.  I'm pondering a question or two these days.  I want to know what drives you?  Or to put it another way, how do you know what your passion is?

And has your passion changed?  What if you strived for something for years, and then found yourself wondering if that's really what you're supposed to do?

I guess I'm directing this more to those of you in the arts: writing, music, dancing, acting, etc.  But it could be applicable to any vocation.

It's always challenging to go for your dreams.  It's a lot of hard work.  But when do you know when it's time to try something else?  Are you afraid of giving up too soon?  Or do you know when to face the realization that maybe you're supposed to be doing something else with your life?

For example, if you're an actor  -- you have a passion for acting.  But how long do you go along doing Shakespeare before you discover that you're a better comedic actor?  Or that you might be a better director or writer than actor?

I know we should pray about it.  I know we will just have a gut feeling.  But sometimes that gut feeling isn't as specific as we'd like.  Or God hasn't provided that neon billboard that says "Go this direction" instead.

So, I'm full of questions today. How do you know if you've found your passion?  What drives you to work so hard?  Even on the tough days or the discouraging days, are you anxious to get back to work to follow your dreams?  How do you know?

Questions, questions, questions!  Is this what happens after you turn 50 years old?

I'd love to hear your thoughts, advice or comments.

Dream a Little Dream…. Heck, Dream Big!

I thought one tennis-related post would be enough, but after watching the results of the Wimbledon Championships over the weekend, I couldn't resist one more.

Every player who enters Wimbledon dreams of winning this tournament. It is arguably the most elite, most coveted of all the grand slams. The century of tradition and great moments make it a very special place.

This past Saturday, Marion Bartoli and Sabine Lisicki played for the women's championship. All the top seeds were gone and neither of these ladies had ever won a grand slam tournament. It was a great opportunity for both players. Marion won. She played steadily and with confidence. And as well as Lisicki played during the tournament to reach the finals, even beating the #1 women's player, Serena Williams, the occasion of being in the finals of Wimbledon was too much for her.

But Marion Bartoli was a class act, and showed that she remembered what it was like to be in Lisicki's shoes. Bartoli was the runner-up to Venus Williams in 2007. It took her six long years to even reach another final. And she was determined not to blow her opportunity. But she had only kind words for Lisicki and encouraged her for future appearances at Wimbledon.

Then the best moment in sports, in my opinion, happened.

 Image from http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_23610659/marion-bartoli-wins-first-womens-wimbledon-title-over

After all of the pomp and circumstances of the trophy presentation and photographs, the two women walked off the court arm-in-arm, smiling, savoring their time on Centre Court at Wimbledon. Bartoli demonstrated that she didn't forget what it felt like to be runner-up. She was clearly basking in her own victory, in her own dream coming true, but she didn't forget, and she made sure Lisicki knew how special it was just to be there, right where they were, playing in the biggest grand slam tournament in the world. I hope we see these two women a lot in future tournaments, and that they always show the class they exhibited on Saturday.

Then came Sunday, and the men's final. The weight of an entire country was on Andy Murray's shoulders to win Wimbledon and become the first man from Great Britain to win their home tournament in 77 years. But he had to face the #1 player in the world, Novak Djokovic in order to do this.

Both men had been to the finals before. Novak was victorious in 2011. But Andy…. He was in tears in 2012, as the great Roger Federer beat him last year. But I have to believe those tears made yesterday's victory over Djokovic all the sweeter. Novak knew how sweet this was. But you know he was disappointed not to win. However, his on-court comments were full of congratulations to Andy and this accomplishment.

These men did not walk off the court together. Novak left the court fairly early… leaving the moment for Andy and for Great Britain. To me, that showed as much class as Bartoli did the day before. If you follow tennis, you know the moment was huge for Murray, and Novak understood that and left so Murray could bask in his victory. But Djokovic will be back. You know he will.

These are examples of respect, and for encouraging someone in their dreams.

My dream is to be a writer, a writer with several books published. It's a dream that takes hard work. These tennis players achieved their dreams by YEARS of hard work, training, hours and hours on the tennis court and in the gym.

I've watched as most of my friends have succeeded and had books published. I've hugged and shared with them the joy of receiving that phone call from an editor or agent, saying their book was accepted for publication. I've stood on the sidelines and watched their dreams come true.

And I've genuinely been happy for them. Yes, it stings a little, because I haven't yet achieved my dream.

But like Murray's tears from 2012 that made this year's victory all the more sweeter, my achievement will be sweet, and in God's timing. And maybe Sabine's tears will make her moment sweeter when it comes.

My time is coming. And while I'm on this journey (and let's not forget the importance of the journey, not just the destination), my friends, published or not, continue to encourage me in pursuit of my goals.

We can all take a lesson from tennis, from the respect and sportsmanship that was demonstrated over the weekend.

As a Christian, I hope my actions always demonstrate Christ's love to others, even when I don't understand what God is doing in my life.

So, tell me, are you encouraging someone else to dream big? Are you watching someone else's dreams come true, and celebrating with them even if you're still struggling with yours?

Photo courtesy of lifeshiftingseasons.com

Can you imagine the impact of this world if we all were encouragers and cheerleaders for each other?

I dare you to dream big, to cheer someone else on in their dreams, and let's watch what happens from there.