Getting rid of Dreams

I’ve been cleaning out my wardrobe.

And I’m getting rid of a lot.

Of dreams.

Not because they are too big.

Not because they are too small either.

But because they aren’t right for me.

Here we are, at the beginning of a new year. Arguably, we begin a new year every day dont we?

So, in this week of celebration and contemplation I have spent some time reviewing my dreams.

They looked a lot like my wardrobe often looks – some areas on the rail crowded with bright colors  while other spots show gaps where my favorite wear-so-often-they-never-make-it-back-to-the-rail pieces are supposed to be.

Fancy-cocktail dresses are hung at the far end where they are seldom noticed, while walk-the-dog hoodies snuggle up to comfy sofa day jumpers and joggers.

I gave myself the same challenge I periodically use to clean out my wardrobe – “If you haven’t worn it in a year, if you don’t like the way it looks on you, if it worked for that one occasion but that occasion won’t ever come again, should it be taking up space in here?”


But the time comes – I have to let them go.

Because, really, that burnt orange shade is hideous on me.

That flouncy cocktail dress is pretty, but I don’t know where I would wear it.

That jacket looks good, but I’m always fussing with the sleeves.

That old thing really IS an old thing – it’s worn thin now and no miracle will make it look good again.

When I purge my wardrobe I let go of anything that doesn’t serve me, whether it fits me or doesn’t.

Time to do the same with my dreams.

That dream that someone else thought was perfect for me? Gone.

The one I so wanted to believe was real, until I saw the “faux” on the label? (That’s okay for leather and fur, but NOT okay for dreams.) Gone.

So what is left?

The true dreams. Not the dreams already come true, but the dreams that are truly mine.

Are some of them too big for me now? Probably. But I love them enough to try and grow into them.

Are some of them so bright and bold that I have a moment of doubt, wondering if others will judge me for choosing them? Of course. But I love how I feel when I wear them, and that is the only judgment that matters.

..............by Debbie Tamblyn-Jones

Are some of them a little revealing? Sure. But I have nothing to hide.

I’m keeping only the dreams that make me feel good, that make me feel like the me I like best. I’m keeping the dreams that make me feel like dancing, like running, like jumping for joy.


Everything else has to go.

Because when you choose your dreams, it isn’t about dreaming big.

It’s about dreaming true.

For you.