This weekend my wife and I enjoyed a night out at the theatre.

The play we saw was set in New York City in 1905.

The main character was Esther, a negro seamstress, who sews intimate apparel for clients who are as diverse as prostitutes and upper-class housewives on Fifth Avenue.

In one particular scene Esther confides in one of her clients about her dream to open a beauty parlour where black women can go to be pampered.

This client, Mayme, was a pianist-turned-prostitute who admits to her own wish to be a concert pianist playing recitals in Prague.

Together the two girls act out their fantasy and imagine it to be real!

It was a magical moment.

That was until Mayme realized that Esther’s dream was more than just a fantasy — it was a plan.

Esther had been saving for years to make her dream come true.

Mayme was resigned to the life she now has.

In that one scene, Mayme characterized two different types of people.

The first person is the Confidant.

This is someone that you can share your dream with — someone you feel safe with and able to banter back and forth.

This person helps to make the dream come alive and to bring to life other facets that may not be apparent at first.

It is magical what can happen as ideas are shared and new ideas pop into the imagination!

This is a safe place to imagine it to be real and your dream takes on a life of its own!

The second person is the Assassin.

This is someone who is often well intentioned.

They care about you and want to keep you from being hurt.

Often, just like Mayme, they had their dream too and watched it die.

You need to cherish your dream.

You need to find ways to give your dream life and nurture it.

Think of it like being pregnant with an idea.

Just like an infant grows and develops inside its mothers body, your dream is growing and developing inside of you.

Protect your dream. Nurture your dream.

Then one day, just like the infant makes its grand entrance at the moment of birth, your dream too will come to life for all to see and enjoy!

Please share, in the comments below, how you Imagine it to be real!

all the best,
Derrall

p.s. The play is Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage