We all have dreams. A desire, a longing for a vision that one day will come true. In fact, much of our lives are spent thinking about and working toward turning our dreams into reality. I had a dream——a strong dream. I had this vision over and over again, during hard travel in strange lands. The dream was of a senior citizens' aerobics class, dancing and exercising with beautiful balloon hats. My longing to see this was so strong, but would it ever happen? Finally, after years of thinking about "What if...," when we were visiting Tallahassee, Florida, I felt, "Now is the time." I opened up the phone book and called the local YMCA. They patched me through to Lisa, the resident aerobics instructor. I took some deep breathes (to make sure I didn't sound overanxious) and began to explain my idea/dream. "Would the ladies like to wear balloon hats during their weekly workout?" I was hoping for success, but bracing myself for failure... Almost instantly, Lisa said "Sure. That sounds like fun. Let's do it on Thursday." Hallelujah! That day, with Jazzercise beats, fluorescent lights, and our new friends in balloon hats, it all came together in a beautiful full circle——dreams, patience, and hard work blossoming into reality.

-Addi