ONE MORE ITEM TO CHECK OFF MY BUCKET LIST
   
The call:
I remember it so vividly.  I was in Denver.  It was an overcast day.  I was laying back in a recliner watching a Joe Cocker documentary, when my cell phone rang.  The caller ID said “Triad School District”.  I answered and it was Dr. Rodney Winslow, Triad High School Principal.  I assumed he wanted to chat about the upcoming Community Expo but interestingly enough, that wasn’t the topic at all.  

He said “I remember a few years ago you told me that being a commencement speaker at a Triad graduation was on your bucket list”.  I said “yes, you have a great memory”.  He said “this is an official invite to be our 2019 Triad High School commencement speaker”.  I froze.  I not only froze but nothing would come out of my mouth.  He said “Dawn?”.  I said “why on earth would you pick me to be a speaker?”.  He said you are a community leader and key partner for the Triad district”.  “Um, okay.”  

You see, I don’t necessarily see myself as a community leader.  I think that for the past 19 years I have been just doing a job that I love.  He went on to say that he thought I would make a great inspirational and motivational speaker for the 2019 class.  I thanked him over and over and over again.  Seriously, I was having trouble just wrapping my arms around that the bucket list item that had been on there the longest was going to come true!!!!!!  I thanked him and was in complete disbelief.  I am glad I have telephone numbers stored in my phone because I could not even think!  

After we hung up, I called my mom.  She was SOOOO excited.  Then my sister.  She was SOOOO excited.  Then my husband.  He was SOOOO excited.  Wait, Ted excited?  When I called him I said “guess what, I have been asked to be the commencement speaker for Triad in May”.  He yelled “yeah, yeah, yeah”.  Um, WOW.  My husband never gets that excited.  He then said “oh honey, I am sorry, what did you say?  The Cardinals just scored”.  LOL.  I will just move on to say that he was really excited when I told him.

The takeaway:
Why on earth have I told all of this to you?  Because anything is possible.  YOU have the power to make your dreams come true.  You have the power to write out a bucket list (or as I like to call it “25 things before I die” list).  

YOU have the power to spend your time moving toward your dreams and goals.  Just understand that putting “I want to write a book” on paper is not enough.  The universe is not going to just say “poof – and here I your book”.  You have to work at it every single day.  Every.  Single.  Day.  You have to believe in yourself.  

I often say that I would not let my friends treat me the way that my thoughts treat me.  I would send a friend like that packing.  Change your mindset.  Change the way that you keep putting it off.  And most importantly, never let ANYONE tell you that you cannot do it.  Just hearing that should make you both move that friend out of your life and also have even a harder drive to push.  

The dream:
So, on Sunday, May 19, I am proud to say that I will be the Triad High School (Troy, Illinois) commencement speaker for the class of 2019.  It will truly be my honor to stand in front of the entire class, the faculty and the attendees to offer them some life tips that I hope they can take with them and use for the rest of their lives!  Wish me luck!