I went to a garden party yesterday - really, I did! - and heard the most fantastic story that I want to share. So as the sun streams in with the fresh air, the crowds thin out, and Bob makes dinner at the lake (I hope) I'll tell you.
My brother-in-law and sister-in-law had just returned from a weekend on the St Lawrence Seaway. Bruce is a great storyteller, and I'll try to do him justice. Mary Jo disagrees with some of the dates, but I like his version the best.
Back in 1948 a young man paid $5 for a small, small island. It was no bigger than the 8' x 10' deck we were sitting on. Over the years he visited there, and every time he went out to it he brought rocks. After many, many years, he had a real island.
As it was then large enough to support a house, he built - stone by stone - a small cottage where he could stay with his family in the summer. He added a dock for the boats, got a flat raft-like thing he called the "rock boat" and was able to bring more rocks from the mainland. He then erected a shed with a sleeping loft where guests stayed in dormitory fashion.
All this from his dream and $5. I was mesmerized by the tale! The true tale!
I thought of all the people I know who dream large. I've written about them before - the people who wanted waterfront so they could fish, and land to play on. The family is now increasing in size, the fish are jumping in the creek, and he's put in a four hole golf course on his ten acres! They weren't willing to settle, and they are glad they didn't. Of course, I get kidded about the fact that I never thought they'd find what they wanted. (It took 18 months or more - and how many houses...?)
Then there are the log cabin people. They've found their dream home, perhaps a bit earlier than they expected (they are the balance to the previous clients), and are going forward. From a subdivision to the wilds of upstate New York. It's going to be a HUGE learning curve, but then dreams usually are.
I also know of a gentleman who quietly told me that he's always seen himself going out to tend flowers at a pond. Since he was a little boy, it's been his vision. I'll let you know how that turns out.
Today I had lunch with Intrepid Janet who reminded me that to move on and pursue their dream of living in Skaneateles they had to be aggressive sellers. They moved up here on a prayer, and have never looked back. Horses, music, friends and family - they're dining on the lake as I write - and their dreams have come true.
It sounds unoriginal, sort of South Pacific-y, but in order to have a dream come true you first have to have a dream. These people did, from the man who saw an island with stone cottages to the woods and a log cabin, to Janet in the village she loves. Not such bad images on a hot summer night in Skaneateles.
