How?

Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., arguably the most influential individual in the civil rights movement. Dr. King was known for his incredible ability to stir people with the power of his words and his brave call to action. Sitting here thinking about him, I can literally hear his voice in my head and that voice stirs emotion. How can I connect this week’s Mindful Mini to the work of this incredible man? I am afraid to try and the lure of writing about something altogether different is hard to resist.

So, I close my eyes and bring Dr. King to mind and I allow myself to settle into the thought of him without expectation. I just sit with him for a while.

It isn’t long before I can hear King’s voice calling out, “I have a dream!” This, perhaps his most  famous speech, is about a dream he had of freedom, equality, dignity and of a world that would embrace our common humanity. I have heard recordings of this speech and I am deeply moved every time. His speech paints for us a world in which all that he was fighting for becomes a reality. He wove a beautiful tapestry with his words that brought to life the dream he had for his children and for the world. 

What strikes me, as I sit with the voice of Dr. King in my head, is that he never says HOW that dream would become a reality. Perhaps it was because he simply had no idea.  Perhaps he looked at the world around him and couldn’t see a way. He could have focused on all the reasons why his dream was just that, a dream, but he didn’t. He focused on the dream. A dream that could have felt unachievable had he anchored it in “reality” or tried to figure out exactly HOW that was going to happen. But he didn’t. He boldly declared his dream and unapologetically described it unfolding before the world. 

I feel that now. I feel the heavy weight of the HOW, and it can pull me down. HOW? How can I make all my dreams become a reality when so much around me says it’s just not possible? How can I resist becoming defeated and give into the voices that say, “that’s never going to happen!”?  How can we let go of our death grip on tactics and strategy and simply allow ourselves to fall madly in love with the dream?

This is where I feel the deep connection to Dr. King as I am sitting quietly in my living room and where the invitation for this week’s Mindful Mini begins to take shape. We must let go of HOW and allow ourselves to fully surrender to the dream! What would your brave speech declare with brazen disregard to the HOW? What dream will you weave into a vibrant tapestry that wraps around your shoulders, worn out into the day where sun can shine light onto each thread? What strategic narrative that dismantles your dream will you set fire to and burn to the ground? Let us boldly dream of a world we long for but cannot yet embrace, that nurtures each and every one of our dreams into reality. 

Dream without regard to HOW! Close your eyes and see it unfold.  Watch each beautiful picture, frame by frame,  become a reel that stirs and inspires. Dream without attaching to HOW. You have a dream… and You’re so worth it!

Yours in heart,

Kelly Driscoll