avatarDebbie Walker

Summary

Debbie Walker, a great-grandmother, recounts her journey of empowerment, from a childhood of dreams to overcoming a difficult family life, and how she ultimately fulfilled her aspirations by publishing an anthology and inspiring women globally.

Abstract

Debbie Walker shares her personal narrative of transformation, beginning as a dreamer who faced the harsh realities of a dysfunctional family in the 1970s. Despite early challenges, she persevered, becoming a first-generation college graduate and a caretaker for her own family and others through her career in the helping field. In the third chapter of her life, she rekindled her childhood dreams, embracing writing and leadership roles to empower other women. Her efforts culminated in the creation of a writing community, a podcast, and the publication of an anthology, allowing her to influence and connect with thousands of women.

Opinions

  • The author believes in the power of dreams as a driving force for personal achievement and overcoming life's challenges.
  • She emphasizes the importance of nurturing dreams not just for oneself but also for others, particularly through mentorship and community building.
  • The author suggests that life can be divided into three chapters, each with its own set of dreams and challenges, and that it's never too late to pursue new dreams.
  • She reflects on the role of caretaker as both a responsibility and an opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
  • The author conveys a sense of optimism and accomplishment in her later years, having achieved her goals and inspired others, despite the physical limitations of age.
  • She sees writing and storytelling as powerful tools for empowerment and connection, capable of transcending personal circumstances and reaching a global audience.

I Turned My Dreams into Triumphs: My Journey of Empowerment

I’ve always been a dreamer.

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

I am a dreamer. I’ve always been one. That’s how I’ve accomplished my dreams of becoming a first-generation college graduate, publishing an anthology, and empowering women worldwide.

If I hadn’t believed in my dreams, nothing woulda happened.

However, as I continued to age, I found myself at an impasse. Or a crossroads. Maybe it depends on how I perceive my conundrum. Since I am in the middle of the third chapter of my life, what will the rest of my future look like for the next ten or twenty years?

Do I resign myself to my current reality as an old lady grieving over unfulfilled dreams, or begin daydreaming again like I did as a child?

Overall, we tend to divide our lives into three acts or chapters, and I’m sure you know what they are. The first act is full of dreams and expectations. The second act is all about living those dreams. The last and third acts are again full of dreams about the rest of your life. Unless you are a pessimist full of fear.

How do I know?

Because, like many of you, I’m stuck and want to be free to dream again.

The urgency to make this chapter of my life meaningful has prompted me to set lofty goals. I want to reach for the stars! If I only make it to the clouds, that’s okay.

I remember as a child…

Dreams of a Child

Looking at the stars through my bedroom window, I recall my dreams of exploring space. Moving beyond the confines of this abused planet, I imagined myself on the deck of the Enterprise.

The character of Spock resonated with my desire to learn everything about the universe and its inhabitants. Spock’s interactions with civilizations and aliens in outer space ignited my curiosity to learn about other people and cultures here on Earth.

I then summoned dreams of being an archeologist, where I uncovered ancient artifacts and deepened my understanding of humanity’s journey. Ancient Egypt also captured my imagination, and I played in the sand under the shadow of the Sphinx.

Other times, NASA called my name, and I was on the roster of test pilots flying experimental planes breaking the barriers of extra dimensions. I soared through wormholes, exploring new realities of time and matter.

Are those lofty goals or what?

Then, one day, when I was eight, I had a vision, or was it a flash? All I remember is that I was speaking to an audience, and hands were clapping for me—everywhere.

How is that possible?

But I kept that image deep in my heart, believing it would happen someday.

But reality dictated another path for my feet, one I had no control over. My parents were addicted to pain pills and alcohol. Explosive, violent episodes were a daily occurrence for years in my young life.

You must remember this was in the early 70s when no one cared what happened to little kids or teenagers. Abuse, violence, and dysfunction forged a stony trail that I was forced to walk, and it railroaded my dreams.

I had to jump off that train. But how?

Disillusioned Dreams

You might have noticed my childhood dreams were about escape. In reality, I did just that. Little did I know, my flight to freedom was an escape to responsibility.

I didn’t fly away, but I left the confines of my family home to birth a new family of my own. At seventeen and alone, I had a baby, went back to school, and built a career in the helping field.

And I had to revise my dream catalog.

Looking back, I’ve been responsible for people continuously over the past 48 years. Even though I did meet and surpass some of my goals, I grounded myself and accepted my role as a caretaker of others and their dreams, nurturing and fanning the flames of high aspirations. I reconciled myself to live through my children’s and grandchildren’s dreams.

Since then, the seeds sowed many years ago into little dreaming hearts have sprouted and blossomed into reality. For instance, I have two daughters who work at a hospital; one is a BSN, and the other is a supervisor. Also, one of my grandsons is going to law school. Several others have young dreams of being an artist, an astronaut, and a flight engineer.

However, my desire to help others expressed itself through Case Management, working with families, and disaster relief. So I did make an impact, a small footprint in the care of this planet’s inhabitants.

Maybe my dreams weren’t so disillusioned.

Elder Dreams

In this third chapter of my life, I’m dreaming again. Even though I’m still guardian caretaker for three children (grand), I’ve plans that will take me to the stars.

But, how can I, a 65-year-old lady currently confined to a chair, do anything worthwhile? For one, I don’t see myself as such; two, I am only constrained by my imagination.

When I see something in my heart, I search for ways to bring it to pass. Four years ago, I envisioned myself as a writer. But, I needed to figure out what to do, how to write for publishing, what to write, and for whom.

I trusted the process of my dreams, the universe, and myself.

Then, in 2019, I had the opportunity to join a group of writers who nurtured my gifts and taught me how to write. In one of my classes, I expressed my desire to publish other women’s stories and asked for help.

Instantly, women volunteered! They caught my vision to encourage, inspire, and empower women to live lives of meaning and purpose. Together, we built a publication and podcast.

Later, I wanted to compile an anthology of our writers’ articles about their dreams, accomplishments, hopes, and tips to navigate mid-life transitions. My mission was to publish the stories and make their voices heard across the earth.

Guess what? It happened!

Today, I have the opportunity to speak into the lives of thousands of women through my writing community. We share our stories of love, laughter, pain, and joy! One day, during a business meeting, one of my editors exclaimed we were a sisterhood in print.

My dreams late in life have become a reality. And I believe the best is yet to come!

I’m back on the Enterprise. However, the starship I’m riding takes me on the flight path of my thoughts. My brain transports those thoughts into words. The words land on a page that is beamed into the cloud for all to read.

See, I did make it to the clouds! And that’s okay.

Debbie Walker is a great-grandmother, writer, blogger, and the creator of Middle-Pause & Forward Motion, the podcast STOMP!, and has published a 3-book anthology of Middle-Pause writers. Top Writer in Food. Stay in touch at [email protected]; follow her on Facebook; Twitter; Pinterest; & listen to STOMP!

Writing
Women
Life Lessons
Dreams
Stories
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