Well, they’re in the process of coming true. Three years ago this week, I started writing a novel. Considering I lack in the patience department, I
never seriously thought I would finish writing the story. At the time I needed a cathartic outlet and I had always dreamt of writing a full-length novel. Seeing my name in print on a book cover was literally a childhood dream of mine.
Wanting to read a story that blended my favorite themes of romance, history, mythology, travel, and the supernatural, I figured I’d give it a shot and write one myself. Three months later, my baby was complete. Of course, things are never easy and editing it took two years and nine months. Today, the story is in the publisher’s hands and will hopefully be in readers’ hands in the next couple of months!
Dream number two goes hand-in-hand with the story, only it is a much more personal accomplishment. In October 2008, I was struggling with personal issues, not the least of which was my weight. I was not blessed with miracle genes like other moms and after my second pregnancy, the seven pounds I lost post-birth, I regained. I had no energy. I couldn’t keep up with my kids. I couldn’t breathe. My spark was gone. After I began writing, I felt some life come back to me. The old, go-getter “Andrea” started to work her way into my conscience. I figured if writing was making me feel better, getting back into shape would help too. Not that I expected to be able to remold myself into the pre-pregnancy form I once had, but I missed the ballerina / cheerleader body of my youth. I set three weight milestones for myself and set out to lose weight my way.
Diets and impossible exercise routines never worked for me. I would inevitably stick with it for a month or so but gradually stopped denying myself the foods I craved and working out. This time was different. I was determined that I wasn’t going to diet. I was going to eat right and that meant making better choices every day and allowing myself a glass of wine, pizza, cheesesteaks, and desserts on the weekends. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t go overboard, but knowing that I was able to enjoy the not-so-good-for-you foods motivated me to work out more. It was a matter of creating balance.
Two years, eleven months, and three weeks after I started to reclaim my health, I’m proud to say 
that I reached my third tier weight goal! Twelve dress sizes smaller and defined muscles from head-to-toe—yeah, I can confidently say that I’m happy, healthy, and proud. It’s such a sense of triumph, because there was more than one occasion on which I wanted to throw in the towel. However, along the way, I learned something about myself. Weight is just a number. I needed to be healthy. Today, I can outrun my kids and keep up with them throughout the day. I’m no longer parenting from the couch, feeling depressed about the extra weight dragging me down. I’m racing with them, playing catch with them, and still have enough energy to feel like I can take on the world after they’ve gone to bed.
The most important lesson I learned over the past three years was that all I had to do to make my dreams come true was to believe in myself. I couldn’t depend on or expect someone else to motivate me or pick up my broken pieces of shattered dreams. The opportunities were always right in front of me; I just needed to want it enough to make them happen.
What do you want to achieve? It’s never too late to go for it and even if obstacles get in your way, step around them. You can make your dreams come true!Images:
1) A teaser look at the logo for my novel, "Eternity." Logo designed by Debra Early.
2) The "me" of today
My heart stopped beating. The world around me moved in slow motion as my mind tried to catch up with what I just heard. A co-worker had just rushed into my office to tell us that one of the Twin Towers in New York was hit by a plane.‘It couldn’t be,’ I doubted. It had to be a practical joke or a way for the media to get more coverage. They had to be overreacting. The office began to chatter. Others were asking if we heard any other news. With our office based in Philadelphia, many of us had friends and family in NYC. Friends. My heart still hadn’t begun beating. My dear friend was working in downtown Manhattan. Her boyfriend was working in one of the buildings that was part of the Tower complex.* I tried calling her but the phone lines were all busy and I couldn’t get through to her. Panic started to set in. I managed to walk down to our cafeteria where a TV was set up to show news coverage as the event was unfolding. Equally mesmerized and disgusted by the image of the burning first tower, my jaw dropped as I watched the second plane hit the other tower. The only other tragedy I’d seen on live TV was the Challenger space shuttle’s explosion as a child. Like that accident, the image of the plane careening into one of the New York skyline’s most recognizable buildings was now permanently etched into my mind. Everyone has a story from 9/11—where we were, what we were doing, who was with us at the time. One way or another, all 
Americans and many around the world were personally touched by the tragedy. In the course of American history, on 9/11 our country lost a little more of its trusting innocence and idea that we were invincible. Yet, the best thing that came of this tragedy was that for a short while, we, as Americans, set aside our differences. We were one nation, one family, united to protect our ideals and our freedoms. For a brief moment, our nation remembered what it meant to be a citizen of the United States. Democrat, Republican, Independent—these were just political labels that didn’t matter anymore. Our country was founded on protecting basic human rights and freedoms. September 11 served as a painful reminder that we often live in a bubble in the Western hemisphere and that others most definitely do not share our philosophies or rights in their part of the world. And from unexpected tragedy, hope was born. I was pregnant during the summer of 2001. I loved my unborn child with my entire heart already and knew that I would go to the ends of the earth to keep my baby safe and happy. September 11, 2001 made me realize just how precious life is and that every second we have with our loved ones should be cherished. Life is too short. Today we celebrate those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the midst of one of the most horrific, hate-filled attacks on our country. Inspired by their bravery, we honor them and their families and hopefully remember that ten years later we are still “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”**
* With all transportation shutdown on 9/11, my friend walked home from Manhattan to Queens that day. Her boyfriend made it home later that night. The sights, sounds, and smells are forever part of their memories from that day. They are now happily married.
** US Pledge of Allegiance – “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
never seriously thought I would finish writing the story. At the time I needed a cathartic outlet and I had always dreamt of writing a full-length novel. Seeing my name in print on a book cover was literally a childhood dream of mine.
that I reached my third tier weight goal! Twelve dress sizes smaller and defined muscles from head-to-toe—yeah, I can confidently say that I’m happy, healthy, and proud. It’s such a sense of triumph, because there was more than one occasion on which I wanted to throw in the towel. However, along the way, I learned something about myself. Weight is just a number. I needed to be healthy. Today, I can outrun my kids and keep up with them throughout the day. I’m no longer parenting from the couch, feeling depressed about the extra weight dragging me down. I’m racing with them, playing catch with them, and still have enough energy to feel like I can take on the world after they’ve gone to bed.
