“Jambo! Habari gani? ”
I feel so delighted to be sharing on the amazing Gypsy Girl Guide blog, while Alessandra is off to embrace their little one and start living her DREAM of motherhood.
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. Harriet Tubman
In 2004 I left from the Netherlands for a longer period of time to Tanzania, East Africa. I there found a DREAM, a purpose AND a soulmate…
We wanted to start a guest house in East Africa, where travelers and expats can meet, rest, recharge, heal, connect, meditate, work and learn. It would be simple, Idyllic, meaningful, educational, artistic, inspiring, peaceful and affordable. This project would provide jobs for the villagers as well as opportunities for growth within their communities. I believe deeply in connecting western travelers with the African community. It would be such a GIFT TO BOTH.
With the orphans and street children I have been doing art projects every time we go, it gives them great value and I would love to see that grow as well. The guest house can have the art displayed and for sale. The guest can connect and work with the children and the children’s projects and souls will be able to blossom.
So many of the children we met there have amazing DREAMS and goals and will take any opportunity given to the fullest. Yearly we have managed to find sponsors and funding to have 36 children attend school in Kamale, Tanzania. This is something we feel should be continued even though we are currently not living there as education plays a big role in a child’s life and will impact his/her future dreams.
Smiles, Passion, Love for community, Faith, Hope, Colors, Inspiration, Thankfulness. These are all reasons for our desire to move back there one of these years. We love Africa and are inspired in many ways. For now we are still on a “safari.”
Special GIVE AWAY! “Dream-along necklace”
Leave a comment with a DREAM of yours for a chance to win one “Dream Along” necklace OR bracelet, color scheme chosen by you. Comments close Sat Sept 11th at 12am PST. The winner will be notified by email. Good luck!
Lilian blogs under the name “Mamaayanna” . In East Africa she is called Mama “Ayanna”, named after their first born. She has a love and passion for the African continent that is deeply rooted. Among many things she is a wife to her soulmate, a impassioned dreamer from the heart, daughter, sister, mama and artist. Currently living in NY state.
What an inspiring post! Thank you! My dream is to do something truly meaningful with my life, but I haven’t found out what that could be yet. Still searching….
My dream is to help the world out in a significant way, so that future generations will be better educated and have better, healthier lives than we did. Thanks for the wonderful post!
My dream is to make a difference in people’s lives, even in a small way. I want to devote my life to helping people, both in my local community and around the world.
I have a hundred different dreams varying from small to big, and everything in-between. I want to work with Doctors Without Borders. I want to backpack through Europe and Asia. I want to live *truly* off the grid, in a little adobe hut in the middle of the New Mexico desert. I want to be a nomadic artist. But most of all, my dream is that through intentionally living my life, being true to myself and that which makes my soul sing, that the lesson my children take from their time with me is to live their most authentic life.
It is ironic that since we became more technologically advanced we also lost, in my opinion, the humanity. So, my dream is to help restore compassion in individuals and/or societies, to restore those aspects of human knowledge and understanding that aspire towards honesty and altruism.
For that I suggest we start with a simple smile. That’s the start of opening your heart and being compassionate to others.
Have you give your smile today?
I dream so vividly, so fully – I dream of the days when I can use my skills to truly better someone else’s life. I dream of the days when I can spend more time with my son and husband. I dream of the days when yoga and writing and hot tea on the sofa are my only afternoon goals. I dream of these things with hope in my eyes and thanks, thanks, thanks in my soul.
Your dream speaks to me so deeply. It really resonates with something within. East Africa has been on my mind so much in the past 9 months. I don’t know why. I admire you so much for joining art, and education, and dreams, and giving, into one fantastic journey. I love your dream! I will be one of your first guests when you open the doors of your guest house. And my dream? ART ART ART. Travel. Spirit. Family. Those are the elements woven together in my dreams. Maybe our dreams will weave together somehow! Who knows!
I dream of living in a community of like minded, Earth loving, optimistic people. I have lots of other dreams, but that’s the first on that comes to mind. :-)
I loved reading this. I too went to Tanzania in 2004 in search of meaning, passion and with the drive to do something beyond myself. The experience was full of many trials and tribulations…but it was the beginning of a journey. I’m still searching and exploring my dreams, but nothing taps into them like being out on the road, beyond your own comfort zone. Thank you for sharing!
I dream of knowing myself more fully so I may share of my self more completely
Here’s to having dreams and then working toward fulfilling them. Thank you for sharing.
Peace……..
It’s funny, my husband and I tell each other and our team all the time, “Honey, we are living a dream!”, especially when the going gets tough and things are difficult. It’s true and we believe it. We live our dream everyday loving God and loving people. It isn’t always like a fairy tale (but once in a while, it is!) and sometimes I think it would be easier to wake up from the dream and be “normal”, however I know that life isn’t worth living if you can’t give yourself and all you have away. This wonderful life that we’ve been given is the greatest resource of hope for the nations and for this generation. We must seize every opportunity within the lifetime of the opportunity and somewhere between those opportunities, dreams are coming true. Keep dreaming, giving, loving and realizing your destiny. You are not alone!
I have a small dream, not very specific, but I feel that it gives me much more room to do things… My dream is to leave the places I go a little happier, a little brighter, a little more filled with magic & hope than when I arrived. How this comes about is totally dependent on the place & circumstances. But that’s my dream… help the world be a brighter, happier, more love-filled place. ^-^
This is not a lightweight question, and I thank you for asking it of us – not just your readers, but humanity in general.
I feel like my answer to this changes from day to day, adding to a long list of dreams that range from big to small and from intensely personal to unshakably universal. I could list so many of these. Yet you ask for one. And I think that to honor that request is a good challenge.
I guess my dream of choice is to live a life where dreaming is not only ok, but as essential as breathing. In this day and age, with political debates and wars and violence, it is so easy to become hardened, cold, and morally hibernatory. I dream of pulling myself out of such quagmires of fear, and working up the courage to entrust my hopes into the sprightly, childlike but caring hands of my dreams.
I dream of dreaming not only for myself, but to use the fire of my dreams as a catalyst upon which others can ignite their dreams, and ultimately, to ignite that which exists at the roots of our dreams – our original, inherent goodness.
Thanks again for asking. And thank you for dreaming. It is so important.
My dream is to help people heal…to reconnect with their bodies by means of playfulness.
Thank you for the space to dream…