“Don’t listen to those who say, you taking too big a chance. Michelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor, and it would surely be rubbed out by today.”

– Neil Simon

The long and sunny days of summer are filled with such abundant energy that even at the end of a long day, I often find myself gazing at the night sky and dreaming expansive dreams.  We all have dreams.  Some of them we tuck away in the deep recesses called, “might have been,” and never bring them into the light of day.  Some we only pull out as we sit under a moonlit sky; and we send them up as wishes on the stars, but we never make the effort to bring them into being.  Not every dream is meant to be realized.  Some are stepping stones that lead us to the ones that stay with us and become a part of who we are, and it is these dreams that can become our contribution to the world .  They sit at the threshold of existence and wait for us to turn the key and release them into existence.

I have given birth five times.  I am familiar with the process that takes place from cells to transformation and growth and finally to the birth of a complete human being.  Science can tell us that a fetus launched too soon will not be a viable baby.  Science can tell us that a baby that remains in the womb too long may suffer the effects of being in an environment that no longer is able to support its growth.  We cannot say to a baby who sits at the threshold of being born, “Go back for a while…I’m not sure I’m ready for you to come out just yet.”  Instead, we celebrate her arrival.  We welcome her with open arms and then wrap those arms around her and begin the process of helping her grow and realize her full potential.

Potential.  That may be what this feeling is that grabs me during the season of sunny days and warm, dreamy nights.  Perhaps, like a human solar cell, I take on the radiant energy that abounds in the summer air and store it up to nourish the dreams that come to life under starry skies.  It is the dreams that perch on the threshold of existence, that cry out to be made manifest in the world, that long to be welcomed and nurtured and brought to fruition, that call on the energy stored under sunlight and keep us awake long into the night.

Whatever you dream, if it sits at the threshold, don’t wish it away or let it die of starvation.  Welcome the potential into existence and leave your mark on the world.  If you dream of painting the ceiling, don’t let people convince you that the floor would be easier to do.  Dreams have no limits; and when we let them soar, sometimes we, too, learn to fly.