I just finished reading The Alchemist yesterday and started thinking about dreams. Not the nocturnal kind, but the ones that are close to the heart. As I read the book, I started to think about life as being full of options, not as a single chance to get things right. I also started asking myself a question: what am I going to achieve today? There's always that dream in your life that makes your heart beat a little faster and makes you think hopefully about tomorrow. You have to be aware of the future because it's not going to plan itself. But what about right now? What about tomorrow?

There will be a time when everything will come together in just the right way to make great things happen. But what if that time is right now? Work deadlines and busy personal lives promote a "don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today"-type mentality. I think the consequence of this type of thinking is a lack of free time to enjoy the precious moment that is now. Buechner says something along these lines: "Listen to your life and see it for the fathomless mystery that it is, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace."

But the way you spend your days is the way you spend your life. That's sobering to me. Because it's easy to get caught up with daily life and hope that tomorrow you'll have the time to chase your dream. A bit of time here and there and suddenly life seems to be wasting away, working towards goals that others have set for you or, worse, not working towards a goal at all. We all have obstacles that need overcoming.

Think about your training. Do you sometimes feel as if you're trying to just get your training over with, and somewhere along the way you lost the joy? Going out on that long bike ride is almost not worth it if you do not have a goal to work towards. It's as important to enjoy the journey, enjoy the moment.

That said, there is something very appealing at the thought of a monastic lifestyle. Giving up everything and be completely available to your community, to do what makes you happy, to fulfill a dream. That's a beautiful thing. Dreams bring hope and they help us face every day. But dreams also point us to something bigger. They connect us to the dizzying heights and depths of being. You can't experience the sweetest parts of life without opening yourself up to the greatest pain. And if the sweetest parts of life are dreams, then the greatest pain is failing. But what if you never even try? If you give up before you even start?

As one person, I can do no great things; only small things with great love. The dreams are realized in the small things, in the way you arrange your life and the simple things you do. Having you come visit SBR with a smile on your face and a new race story confirms that to me. If you want to help someone reach their dreams you don't have to start by writing a novel; you can start by writing a word.

Dream big,