Don't Quit Your Daydream

Daydream by Lily Meola ... click here to play

 In the recent past, I've discovered a sure-fire way to touch my heart: watching videos of America's Got Talent auditions, especially the "best of" collections on YouTube. Without exception, one of the songs and a young singer will bring me to tears.

The latest one is Lily Meola with her song Daydream. The combination of her voice, her song, and her story just ripped my heart open and made me think there was something deeper to explore. After listening and re-listening, I think the issue is that I don't have a daydream, and even worse, I may have fallen into the trap of thinking I'm too old for a dream of any sort.

What most brings the tears are the performers who struggle with their fears. Often their stories are about heartbreak and overcoming obstacles in order to stand in front of an audience as the culmination of their hero's journey. Lily Meola's song was entangled with her mother's death and she was given a chance to back away. But she stayed and wound up getting a golden buzzer.

Of course, the auditions I watch are always successes because only the best auditions are included in the videos. However, the performers didn't know they would succeed when they began; they only knew they were willing to try on a big stage ... something I didn't have the courage to do.

I've never had a dream that big. And, somewhere along the line, I gave up, settled for safe. Now, I can't even remember what would have been a big dream. I don't think it was ever fame and fortune, but I did want to write something significant, do something that would make a difference in the world, feel the outward rippling of my actions.

Here I am at 77, brought to tears by something I didn't do, even when I don't know what it was or what it might have been. 

On the other hand, maybe I am doing it. I've managed to return to a place I love, the only place I've known that feels like home. I'm engaged in this journey of self-exploration and spiritual awakening with a worthy companion. And, I've focused my skills on sharing gratitude and peace. Maybe I'm not on stage in front of thousands, but I am staying put, working in the field, planting and tending seeds that could take root in places I will never see. Maybe this is enough. Maybe my daydream crept up and lightly tapped me on the shoulder and I just didn't recognize it.

Maybe, sharing my gifts, leaving the world a slightly better place is my daydream. If that's true, how would I incorporate that dream and more courage into this hero's journey?

Lily Meola's story: 

I wrote this song at a time in my life when things were pretty beautiful, I was living in a house surrounded by a pasture full of longhorn, I was raising butterflies and a baby deer. I would travel back and forth between LA, Maui and Nashville pursuing my souls passions. I had a record and a publishing deal, everything I had been working for my whole life was coming into fruition. I felt the need to write a song called ‘daydream’ that wasn’t about love or heartbreak, I wanted something meaningful and inspiring…something that would encourage other young people to listen to their heart. After a few hours with Mags Duval and Casey Brown, Daydream was born.. Then the unexpected happened, my mom was diagnosed with cancer and my life twisted upside down. I lost my record deal and my confidence. I developed an extreme case of anxiety. My main focus was my mom, and naturally nothing else seemed to matter… After a fierce fight with vast ups and downs, my mom passed away. In that moment, not only did I lose my mom, I lost my best friend and number one cheerleader. I found myself falling into a depression, the grief and sadness took over me... Now after battling this heartbreak, I feel like I wrote this song for my future self, to re-inspire me to never quit my daydream. -lily