Pursuing Dreams

By Colleen Crawford

I used to be a voracious reader. I loved losing myself in a piece of fiction and stepping out of my life and into another's without ever moving off the couch. There was nothing better than finding a new author or better yet, an author I have come to love with a series of books. Who has read a book that you didn't want to put down and then when it was over you immediately longed to be back in the middle of it? To find a series of books written by an author I've come to love was a dream come true.

I have read very little over the course of the past five years or so. My attention span is short, the words swim on the page and I just can't sit still long enough to want to settle into a book. I've missed my reading days.

A few weeks ago, my favorite local musician wrote a post on Facebook. He had met up with an old friend from the corporate world. Both of them abandoned a "sure thing" (are any jobs a guarantee of security?) and pursued their dream career in the arts. He is a musician, she is an author.

I read this post and immediately checked out the author. She had written a five book series that sounded interesting. I poked around her website for a while and took the plunge. I ordered all five books. I didn't even care if I didn't love them. I was supporting a Canadian author with the same humble beginnings as my favorite piano man. It was a good investment no matter which way I looked at it.

My books arrived in the mail on Friday. I couldn't wait for Sunday to arrive so I could settle in with a good book and spend the day with my new author.

She did not disappoint. She did an incredible job of introducing the background characters in such a way that you know as much as the main character knows of them but you want to know the rest of their story. I smiled to myself because I knew there were four more stories yet to unfold, within the original. And I will not have to wait for any of them to be written. I just have to make the time to read them.

The author is K. A. Tucker. The books are the "Ten Tiny Breath" series. The premise of the story is based on the aftermath of a drunk driving accident. It is an unfortunate truth that a local family of four died after being hit by a drunk driver only a few weeks ago, so this story hit close to home in so very many ways.

I am impressed with this author's courage to pursue her dream. I have been equally impressed to hear my favorite musician (Jeffery Straker) tell his story about following his passion for music. Each of these local artists encourage and inspire me. There are so many people locked into jobs that are draining them to the core and destroying their health along the way. I look at these brave souls and it gives me courage to get back on track and to pursue my own dream.

I walked away from the corporate world to pursue a "career" in running a daycare. I write a little on the side. I want to do more but I'm terrified to actually follow through on that idea. Fearing failure is one thing. But it is the fear of success that paralyzes me most of all. Fear of criticism, fear of putting something out into the world to be judged, condemned and most of all "What would my mom think???" What if I succeed once and can never top that? What if I become too dependent on feedback from others that I forget to follow my own North Star? I feel like burying my head in the sand and letting my plot line fizzle out and die here. But I think I have a dream or two left in me. I am paralyzed in fear. 

Kudos to Jeffery and K. A. Tucker! You guys inspire me to push through the fear and follow my dreams.

But for now, I'm just going to turn on a little "Jeffery Music" and count the minutes until I can sit down with "In Her Wake" (the second book in the "Ten Tiny Breath" series), with a side order of Brené Brown to help me "Dare Greatly".

I'll be back!