Becoming Somebody

“Not long ago and not far away, a Nobody named Ordinary lived in the Land of Familiar.”—Bruce Wilkinson, The Dream Giver

How many times have you felt like Ordinary? You wake up every morning to the nagging chirp of your alarm, you throw on your average clothes. You go to work, file the same papers, eat the same lunch, and drink the same coffee out of the familiar mug with an ordinary logo imprinted on it. Sometimes we don’t even realize our lifestyle because it’s just a habit; it’s comfortable. But what if you step out of that box?

For me, I grew up outside of the box. I’m the left handed girl that always bumps your elbow at the dinner table. I’m part of the quirky family that walks around with all the special needs kids. I’m the girl that majored in two completely different subjects (music and business). I’m not saying these things to be negative. They are part of what makes me not a nobody—but I still had to piece together how to become a somebody.

When I was born, The Dream Giver gave me The Big Plan. It was what He wants me to do with my life. He knew who I would be, that I would need my younger brothers, and a right brained mind that likes logic and creativity. (Not to sound cliché, but everything does happen for a reason.) After twenty-two years, I found my dream. Ok, yes I’m young. (But don’t think it was easy for me! Three college major switches, a fifth year of tuition and a pretty penny to match in school loans—that just tips the surface.) But I want to be like the Dream Giver. I want to help others recognize their dreams. My dream—to help anyone, but particularly people with disabilities find their dreams.

On the other side of familiar, it’s scary. There are giants that get in your way, coaxing you to give up on your irrational life plan. There are times the road seems bare, with no resources to help you to your dream. Worst, you step farther and farther from familiar, each step deeper into the unknown leaving you stripped of all confidence that you will ever make your dream a reality. Is your dream really worth it.

While reading about ordinary I have discovered that by the power of the Dream Giver, everyone is implanted with a vision. It wasn’t just Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, Sam Walton, or Vince Lombardi. We are all born with a passion, but we don’t all take the road to fulfill it.

Think for a minute. If someone handed you a million dollars, what would you do? What have you always been good at? What needs do you care about most? Who do you admire most? What makes you feel fulfilled? Even if you haven’t discovered it yet, there is something in you that matches these questions. You have to ask yourself, “What legacy do I want to leave?”

In just a couple weeks I open the doors to my dream, literally. The doors to The Spotted Cow Coffeehouse, a workplace opportunity for adults with disabilities, will be open for everyone to see. Throughout the process I’ve had giants standing in my way, road blocks, everything. There was a point where I questioned, is this really worth it? I could just use my business major and get a normal desk job, and for once be a normal person! But I can stand in the shop, make a latte, and look into the eyes of my little brothers, and I know, this is what I was born to do. This is the big plan!

I’m the left-handed music and business graduate with the quirky family. But I’m also the girl who has a big plan to fulfill. I’m a somebody. You are too.

And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” –Daniel 8:16

Wilkinson, Bruce, David Kopp, and Heather Harpham Kopp. The Dream Giver. Sisters, Or.: Multnomah, 2003. Print.