Meet Jouaye.

I met him outside a McDonald’s in Uptown Minneapolis. He was hanging with a group of friends from the charter school he attends. It was a special field day for their visual arts and technology course. The students had just eaten and were gathering before their next event.

I asked Jouaye one question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”

This was his response.

“I’d live happy with whoever I’m with.”

I was tempted to ask more, but didn’t. Jouaye had nothing further to add. His answer was more than acceptable. In fact, it was brilliant.

So what can we learn from Jouaye?

Jouaye’s response to my question was simple, yet profound.

Perhaps some of our greatest joys are found not in possessions, but in people. Perhaps our greatest fulfillment is found not in doing more or having more or being more, but just enjoying more of right where we are.

I’d love to know. What pieces can you take from Jouaye’s dream and apply to your own life? 

 

 

 

*This post is a part of a month-long 31 Days series titled Dreams from the Street. If you’d like to read more from my series, click here and you’ll be brought to the series landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked! You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson! I’m so glad you stopped by. Make yourself comfortable and take a peek around the place. You’re welcome back anytime.

Meet Lisa.

She was volunteering at the Autism Speaks booth on the first floor of Mall of America when I passed. I have a special heart for all sorts of special needs, so the opportunity to connect with another individual from the autism spectrum disorder community was an honor.

I asked Lisa one question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”

This was her response.

Lisa was receptive, but wasn’t quick to answer. She was thoughtful, contemplative. This seemed to be a loaded question for her.

As I chatted with Lisa, I discovered she’s a lot like me. The way she responded was similar to the way I’d respond if a random stranger approached me with such a deep question. We spent 20-25 minutes together, which was the longest I’d spent interviewing anyone for the series at that point. I’m not a surface level person, nor is Lisa, so our time spent connecting was good. Every minute, a pleasure.

Lisa wanted to know more about me before we dove deeper into talk about her. I didn’t plan on diving deep or long with anyone when I conceived the series, but it’s in my nature, so how could I decline? I shared with Lisa, this “random stranger,” bits and pieces of my own dreams. Perhaps this helped her see me as a real person rather than some random blogger asking a random question? The truth is, if you’re willing to be completely authentic and go deep with me, I’ll go deep with you. Period. So, thank you Lisa, for your heart, for your contemplative nature, for your sincerity and sensitivity.

When Lisa and I got around to addressing the question “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?,” Lisa shared this.

Her son has autism. He’s 15 years old and was diagnosed when he was two years old. If she didn’t have to worry about money, she’d “get him all the therapies he needs,” and “everything he needs to support himself and be independent.” Lisa would “do what [she] could to make life easier for her family.”

I asked Lisa one of the most sensitive and difficult questions you could ever ask a parent of a child who has special needs. “Do you feel like you had to forgo or change the dreams you had for your life because of your son’s special needs?” Lisa responded simply. “It is what it is.” Sometimes, yes, you feel like a prisoner. It’s “just challenging and hard and different,” she said. She’s not looking for pity. She’s looking for “understanding and support.”

Lisa recognizes that she’s not alone in parenting a child with special needs. She’s aware of all the parents who face similar, even more challenging situations than her own. So she doesn’t feel sorry for herself. She loves her son and wouldn’t trade him for the world.

As Lisa said, it just “is what it is.”

Lisa’s husband is self-employed as a contractor, so fortunately, “they don’t have to rely on her income” for the family’s finances. Before her son’s diagnosis, Lisa was home, but she “never intended to be home so much.” Lisa works in direct sales as she’s able. Her hours are flexible. It’s been hard for her to commit to a regular full-time job because of their son’s special needs. If she had her choice, she’d rather do something “more consistent” that “pays every week,” but direct sales allow her the flexibility she needs to change her course at any minute to be with her son.

Lisa and her husband chose to have one child only. They’ve committed to their marriage and want to do everything to keep that strong.

Lisa would do “a ton more traveling if [she] could.” Recently, she had the amazing blessing of traveling to Africa for a month. This was something that had been on her bucket list, so her husband modified his work schedule for the month so he could care for their son after school and during evenings and weekends, and they committed to making this happen for Lisa.

I loved the way Lisa’s eyes lit up when she spoke of Africa. I knew it had moved her heart. I knew the trip had touched her in ways she’d always dreamed of. I knew that experience would stay with her for a lifetime.

My biggest prayer for Lisa is that she’ll find creative ways to check off more of those bucket list items in years to come.

So what can we learn from Lisa?

Life doesn’t always go the way we planned. The hopes and dreams we have for our lives can change dramatically, in the blink of an eye. But we must persist. We must make the best. We must love, anyway. We must trust, anyway. That God works all things together for those who love Him. That He will bring bits of beauty up from the ashes, anyway. That He can make our littlest and biggest dreams come true, anyway. Even when life’s not easy. So get out that bucket list. And don’t forget it. Because God can make a way, even when the way seems impossible.

I’d love to know. Do you connect with Lisa’s story? Is there some nugget of wisdom you can take and apply to your own life? 

 

 

 

*This post is a part of a month-long 31 Days series titled Dreams from the Street. If you’d like to read more from my series, click here and you’ll be brought to the series landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked! You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson! I’m so glad you stopped by. Make yourself comfortable and take a peek around the place. You’re welcome back anytime.

Meet Diamond and John.

I knew I wanted to chat with John the second I passed him on the fairway. What I didn’t know until I approached was that Diamond was equally fascinating.

I asked Diamond and John one question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”

This was their response.

If Diamond didn’t have to worry about money, she’d be working as a crime lab analyst. She’s always been good at biology, so she wants to do blood and DNA testing. She’s currently enrolled in college and will be transferring to another university to get her degree.

And John? If he didn’t have to worry about money, he’d be “in a house somewhere with [his] feet up, just chilling.” Or maybe he’d be “on the basketball court somewhere playing Kobe Bryant.”

So what can we learn from Diamond and John?

Never guess a person’s dreams for their life based on their place of employment.

Never assume that people have similar dreams for their lives just because they work together.

And never underestimate the power of a dream.

Dreams give us hope. Dreams help us see beyond circumstances and environments. Dreams aren’t visible to the naked eye, but reveal a lot about who we are on the inside.

So tell me…is there something from Diamond and John’s story that you can take and apply to your own life? 

 

 

 

*This post is a part of a month-long 31 Days series titled Dreams from the Street. If you’d like to read more from my series, click here and you’ll be brought to the series landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked! You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson! I’m so glad you stopped by. Make yourself comfortable and take a peek around the place. You’re welcome back anytime.

Meet Jenny. 

She stood at the back of the store behind the candy display. Her back was facing me and she appeared to be working on something at the counter. I’m not really sure why I was drawn to her, particularly since all I could see was the back of her head, but where God leads, God leads.

I asked Jenny one question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”

This was her response.

“I think I have a few things,” she said.

And as Jenny proceeded to tell me her dreams, she wasn’t just sharing a “few things” off the top of her head. These were the “few things” she’d dreamed about with all her heart for a long, long time.

Jenny would like to open her own coffee and confection shop.

But the dream doesn’t stop there.

She’d set up her coffee and confection shop so “everyone gets fair pay and benefits.” She’d do a lot of donating to people in need and those less fortunate. She’d just give “fully, as much as needed.”

But her dream doesn’t stop there.

She’d also like to open her own shelter. She’d want to open a shelter that’s “pretty big so there’s enough room for everyone.” And she’d want to serve “better quality food” that’s not just cafeteria food, but “more nourishing.”

Jenny went to LeCordon Bleu culinary school for a while, but couldn’t get enough money to finish. She also has her eyes on a barista school in Portland, Oregon, but if that’s going to happen, she’ll need money to pay for it up front. Because of these experiences, another part of her dream is to “give grants or loans to people who can’t seem to make it through school.”

Jenny knows she’s moving in the right direction to achieve her dreams. Working in the candy and coffee shop has been a good experience, and has helped refine her vision.

“Hopefully one day I’ll be able to make those dreams come true,” she said.

I assured her three or four times YES.

So what can we learn from Jenny?

Dream big. Really big.

Plan a little. Or a lot.

Make wise decisions and take small steps towards your dreams.

Keep pursuing and keep persisting. Obstacles will be overcome and roadblocks will be moved if that dream’s meant to be.

Always believe your dreams can come true.

For all things are possible.

So tell me…is there something from Jenny’s story that you can take and apply to your own life? 

 

 

 

*This post is a part of a month-long 31 Days series titled Dreams from the Street. If you’d like to read more from my series, click here and you’ll be brought to the series landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked! You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson! I’m so glad you stopped by. Make yourself comfortable and take a peek around the place. You’re welcome back anytime.

Meet LeAnn.

She was seated at a table in the food court with seven young children (two not pictured). I knew immediately that she’d be fascinating to interview, so I approached without hesitation.

I asked LeAnn one question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”

This was her response.

She admitted up front, “Kids are my life.”

LeAnn wanted to be a teacher, but when she had her third child, she quit her job and had to stay home. So she began operating a daycare out of her home, and she teaches faith formation at her church for students being confirmed. She’s enjoyed being able to be home when her kids are sick, and she’s looking forward to being there when her grandbaby’s born.

If LeAnn didn’t have to worry about money, she said she’d “continue doing everything she’s doing now” except she’d be able to put her kids through college. She’d make sure her children and mother had their own homes so they don’t have to worry about that. And last, but not least, she’d have a separate house or building just for her daycare. Ideally, she’d like to step out the back door of her house and the daycare would be right there.

Oh yeah, and if she didn’t have to worry about money at all, she’d like to take more days off.

I’d wish all these things for LeAnn. Such a kind, caring soul.

So what can we learn from LeAnn?

I learned one thing from my interaction with LeAnn. And I believe this is an important lesson for all of us.

Never assume anything about anyone.

Never assume anything about other peoples’ satisfaction with their life.

And never assume anything about other peoples’ dreams for their life.

Period.

I have to be honest. Before I talked to LeAnn, I would’ve guessed she’d rather be doing something other than tending seven children.

But I was wrong.

I had projected my own feelings onto LeAnn. I’m pretty sure I would be completely stressed out if I was responsible for seven children all day long every day, and then in public, too, but LeAnn wasn’t.

LeAnn said herself that if she didn’t have to worry about money AT ALL, she’d “continue doing everything she’s doing” with a few tweaks.

If you give people a chance to speak for themselves, they might tell you a whole lot you never would’ve guessed.

So tell me…is there something from LeAnn’s story that you can take and apply to your own life? 

 

 

 

*This post is a part of a month-long 31 Days series titled Dreams from the Street. If you’d like to read more from my series, click here and you’ll be brought to the series landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked! You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson! I’m so glad you stopped by. Make yourself comfortable and take a peek around the place. You’re welcome back anytime.