Henry David Thoreau wrote that most men live lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. I think the same is true of dreams.
Most of us have dreams, and so many dreams die inside of us for so many reasons. One is that people give up on them, and succumb to the pressures, struggles and disappointments of life. In our culture, there are so many people warning us about life, and our religion is salesmanship and mostly, we are encouraged to be fearful and buy things. But you can go a long way without someone encouraging you to go confidently, and bravely, in the direction of your dreams. You may have to go back to Thoreau. Mostly, we are told our dreams are impractical, too expensive, or dangerous. Our real work, we are told, is making money, being selfish and wasteful, and trying to live a long time.
In recent years, people have encouraged me, and I have learned to encourage myself. I will not die with the song still inside me, nor my dreams.
I just finished my Bedlam Farm Diary, “World Without Donkeys,” a small film – four and a half minutes long – documenting my life and some of my thoughts about living with donkeys. I have written books about dogs, and so many people associate me with that, but the farm is about much more than that. It is about rural life, people, aspirations, struggles and a life with the natural world and animals – donkeys, sheep, chickens, cows, barn cats and of course dogs.
I think I have found a way to incorporate video into the blog, my words and photos, and my stories. I’ll share this tomorrow. Still have some tinkering to do. I am grateful to Sara Friedman, to Maria, who always encourages my dreams, to Dave Bigler and his staff – to Terry Leahy – for helping me understand video and begin to learn how to use it. It is helping me find my voice, and sing my song in a way I am comfortable with.
My wish for anyone reading this is that they not die with their dreams and songs buried inside of them.
