Sometimes when you dream
Your dreams come true.
In extraordinary ways
Suddenly, a day can be so amazing.
And sometimes when you yearn, you burn the air.
And then you are not the same.
And the world is. – Mindi Dickstein

Many dreams begin from broad aspirations. They may also include visions of idyllic outcomes along the way. Yet life seldom works that way.

In the beginning, there was the Garden of Eden. It was sheer perfection, beauty beyond comparison. Then it was lost. However, it was not irretrievably lost. While it would never be the same again, the Spirit behind it would always be reachable, always waiting to inspire, embolden, and strengthen those who might seek to live in it.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God. – Isaiah 49:4

As we go through life, it is hard to go after one’s dreams and to work at being the best version of you, you can be. Many things may warrant our attention. Sometimes they can pull us in directions that are unexpected or unwanted. However, even within these tangents, the Garden of Eden often lies. The key is to remember, it is up to us, in each situation, even in the ugliest of ones, to search for the truth, beauty and knowledge that it may hold within, and to do all we can to let it grow.

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott