Written by Jesica and Colleen | There's never a better time than now to start realizing your dreams.
My memories remain so vivid that they play in my mind like films on an IMAX screen. I still remember the first time Colleen and I met in a bar to see what would become one of the connective threads of our friendship, Lingo. That night, full of dancing, may have been where we began to cultivate our plans to dream. Graduation made me fear that our nights of extra dream time would be rare, but our recent adventure to welcome spring and stir up some inspiration with a night full of "Lingo Love" reminded me of a few important things... Colleen and I may live in different cities, and our dreams may come and go in no particular order, but friendship and sisterhood are not bound by distance. Youth is not bound by age. Dreams are not bound by sleep. Joy is not bound by "failure". And success, is not bound by your current circumstance or your zip code. For this season, I will wake up everyday singing "Hello to the River," welcoming whatever this spring river holds. Dream on. -J | Sometimes memories feel very dream-like. I couldn't tell you exactly when, but I know that dancing around a college bar in Statesboro around this time last year to tunes by the band Lingo was very much a reality. I snagged a koozie from the show and kept their round, lime green sticker reading "Lingo Love" stuck inside my worn red Hobo wallet for months after and can not only tell you which sister friends were dancing around with me that night, but also what they were wearing. The night was one for the books... The ones I've missed since I left Statesboro behind. But even more dream-like was recreating that night at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon. Despite seeing the band's status updates of playing across Georgia and the Southeast, I could not have foreseen a night like this coming together even if I had put all effort into planning it. I drove southboud on I-75 to Macon to celebrate the annual Cherry Blossom Festival and reunite with Jesica. She had some spare last minute festival wristbands as a perk of her internship at a radio station. In a serendipitous turn of events, one of my old college roommates was in town too. After the winter we've had spent desperately waiting for the seeds of dreams we've been planting to sprout, we rejoice in this festival season and celebrate the annual return flowers. The realization of our dreams don't always have to be serious, career-focused or ground-breaking. Some are happy accidents and fall in our laps like bright petals falling from the trees. Pick these blessing up and adorn your hair. Celebrate the little things and the turning points. Go see live music because watching bands perform, boldly expressing their realized dreams might encourage you to go after your own (and if you're in Atlanta, you can see Lingo May 2 at Terminal West). Because when the opportunity arrises to surround yourself with old friends, to continue old traditions in new ways, what more reason to you need to dance? Now, dream bigger. -C |