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I'm a dreamer and I'm proud of it! However, sadly we live in a world that does not encourage dreamers when more than ever we need to cultivate them.

This is a wonderful time of year to encourage dreams and dreamers. The new year is not very old and spring brings with it a wealth of new growth all around us.

New is one of my favorite words. The wonderful thing about the word new is the wealth of possibilities it embodies-a new baby, a new home, a new job, a new year'The beginning of a new year is especially the time to dream about the possibilities it holds. Spring is also a wonderful time to make changes and enjoy new experiences. The sunlight, the new growth, and the warm air all bring a desire, sometimes even a need, within us to do something new. What better time of year to pursue your dreams?

Dreams often get a bad rap. Dreamers are viewed as slackers. Yet if it were not for the dreamers in our past we would not have many of the wonderful inventions that make our lives easier or more delightful (or both). Perhaps it is the ability to dream far more than the opposable thumb that sets us apart. Dreams are escape it is true, but they are also plans, hopes, and wishes-and we all know that sometimes dreams come true'

Imagine a world where Orville and Wilbur Wright did not dream of soaring above the clouds or where Jonas Salk did not dream of a prevention for the scourge of his time? How different would our worlds be if we had not harnessed flight and found a vaccine for polio?

Yes, these are two examples of the power of dreams and why we need them. This is why it is important to allow yourself to dream-for yourself and for humankind.

Think about this quote from Woodrow Wilson: "We grow great by dreams. What">All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let these dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who hope that their dreams will come true."

Many of us have dreams that we do not dare let see the light of day for fear of failure or ridicule. Yet it is important to be brave and remember that all success comes with some failure. The Wright brothers worked for 10 years toward their dream and even after it was realized there were mistakes-sometimes tragic and fatal ones.

Salk did not realize his dream in one day or even one year, but spent many years building on his work as well as that of others to make it a reality.

Wilson himself achieved many dramatic successes and some even more spectacular failures.

Mark Twain had something to say about this fear of failure and its effect on your dreams: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

So do as Twain advises-explore, dream, discover-follow your dreams and who knows where they will lead you. Believe in yourself, believe in the power of dreams, and may we all benefit from their beauty!

Nourish your dreams and protect them for the bad days will end and sunshine and light will come, but only if you let your dreams fly.

I leave you with this quote from Henry David Thoreau: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."