Fellow Hijackers

Sometimes when I blog about something, all of a sudden I will see newspaper articles that whisper the same sentiment back to me. I wonder if it’s like being pregnant; all of a sudden you realize how many pregnant women are in your world. Or buying a new car, and then noticing the same model, make, and colour of car on the road beside you. That I would not have noticed yesterday. Some of my friends with different training than I have might know what that phenomenon is called.

Two articles caught my eye this morning. This one, by Corina Milic, struck me. I found myself reading it and thinking:

· Good for her to not wallow in her grief and to find a new path;
· Good for her writing for the Toronto Star (having been laid off by the Sun!) and keeping her
name in print;
· Good for her for feeling empathetic about the other people she writes about that are worse
off than her;
· Good for her for realizing that she had overextended herself and immediately gave up her car
and designer purse;
· Good for her for appreciating her parents and what they had given her, and what they
couldn’t; and
· Good for her that she isn’t whining about “why me?” even if she didn’t see this coming.

Okay, read the story and see what you think. Then, if you’ve hooked into this blog quickly enough, read the comments below the story. Can you spot the fellow hijackers who are similar to people I wrote about in “Hijacking Dreams”? I am astounded by the bitter reactions of some of the commentators and delighted by the others who applaud her efforts.

Then I read this article. Notice how the author is talking about having to speak about a very tough subject with your kids – having no money? Notice how she gives advice about how not to make your kids feeling like they, you, or life is falling short and failing? I absolutely love the advice from the family therapist, Jennifer Kolari: "You don't have to give up on your dream, you may just have to take a different road". I want to be on a plane with that therapist when others around me are trying to hijack my dreams.

As I write this blog, I am sipping coffee from a mug that Kelly gave me this Christmas.

“The Future belongs to those who Believe in the Beauty of their Dreams.”

It is a mantra that Kelly and I share.

Kelly and I are not hijackers. I’ll bet that other also-not-hijackers will read this, will read the articles, and will say “Good for you, Corina. Believe in your dream.”

And just one more thought, Corina...I’m a Canadian taxpayer and I don’t mind helping you pay for your dream. As long as you take a different road next time and skip the designer purse. ;-)