Do you have a dream?

What keeps you up at night?
And no, I'm not talking about the thought of having left the stove on or not having bolted the door shut. That goes away (for the time being, at least) once you've ensured that's not the case.

I mean, what really keeps you up at night?
What is your first thought in the morning?
Again, I'm not talking about the meetings lined up for you today.

Have you realised where your passion lies?
Do you know what you want your life to look like?

Do you have a dream?

It feels beautiful, doesn't it? Imagining a future that you created just the way you wanted.

Here's what I like to imagine:
- Sitting at my typewriter and bleeding whenever I wish to.
- Grabbing a book from my shelf and reading whenever I want to.
- Having the privilege to sit with a warm coffee mug in my hand on a rainy afternoon without worrying about tomorrow.

That's what I dream of. BUT that's not what my dream is.

I think what we think of as a dream is ultimately what brings us peace.
Is that true? I don't know yet.
Is it worth finding out? I think that's the sole purpose.

Okay, now, I'm going to take you through my chaotic mind and show you what happens in it within 1 second (or constantly, rather).

Imagine a character from the book you're reading going through something you have gone through in real life. It's rare and too difficult for people to fathom. You might have people around you whom you may have spoken to, or worse yet, you might never have been able to. And you come across a character who speaks like you would want to.
Wouldn't that heal a part of you?

Now that's just one scenario. There could be thousands of others doing somebody at least some good.

There are wars, losses, despair, and grief around us. And so many of us are going through them alone.
And I know that most times, hope is just a word, but words can change a lot.
In fact, they do change a lot!

I want to know and use words and only words and their voice to comfort the world.
I want to write for someone to feel that someone out there feels like them.
That they are not alone. That they are going to make it.

I know reading isn't exactly therapy, but books have helped me.

And that is what my dream is.
(And that is what I live for/with - it's a blessing, and it's not. But that's for later).

I want someone to hold my book in their hands someday.
I hope that someday my words will be someone's safe space.
I hope that someday my stories/letters/poems/characters will help someone through their tough times.

Yes, every author dreams of having a badge on their books that says "Million copies sold worldwide",
and I am no exception to that; but even if mine whispers "touched a hundred hearts",
I think that will last me a lifetime.