Jan Fowler

is author of the best-selling book, “Hot Chocolate for Seniors”(winner of national & international awards); winner of Gold Halo Award from the So. California Motion Picture Council for Outstanding Literary Achievement; winner of First Place Excellence in Journalism Award (SPJ –Southern CA); Town & Gown “Phenomenal Woman” Award; former television host & KSPA radio host of “Senior Living at its Best with Jan Fowler”; speaker, contributing author for “Savvy Women Revving Up for Success”; founder of Starburst Inspirations, Inc. 501(c) (3) nonprofit which supports Redlands Drug Court. www.janfowler.com. Jan welcomes feedback and comments about her columns and invites you to leave her a message on her website.

Keeping Your Dreams Alive

By Jan Fowler

If you have a dream of finding love in later life, then I urge you to nourish that expectation by doing something tangible which excites the fulfillment of your desire.

As an example, one day a few years ago I decided that I wanted a new car and recall how I began dropping in at Lincoln showrooms ‘just to look’ of course. There was something about seeing, feeling, and smelling a new car which excited me. Oh no, I wasn’t going to fork out any money just yet. But then again, I never expected to see the car of my dreams either, one which had every single feature which I had envisioned, including the exact color which I love!

When I unexpectedly saw this car, I felt a shift and shiver ripple through me at the cellular level. I never dreamed where that first step would lead, but was so thrilled with my instant discovery that I happily bought the car and had a wonderful romance with it ‘more like a love affair’ for many years.

Now I may be different from others in that I happen to regard a car as a very personal thing, pretty much like my wristwatch in that I use and rely upon it nearly every single day. And I remember how, while driving my new car, I’d often sing at the top of my lungs while sailing at top speeds across the highways and byways of America.

Very often when you take that first step, you will notice how all the right people ‘magically appear’ from out of nowhere with the exact information which you need to guide you to the next level. Occasionally, that next level may lead you to a new job, a new house, or a new love mate.

You can warehouse seeds in a seed bank and store them for years. But just like ideas, you have to plant them if you ever want them to grow. Seeds need water, light, and nourishment. Plant a seed and you give it life. Give it life and you give it force, plus you may discover that it has infinite potential.

Each week, I receive stories from people of all ages who have recently discovered love and romance. It thrills me to read, “Dear Jan, I have fallen in love.” When I ask how they met, I often learn that they took one small step in the right direction, anything from signing up on ‘Plenty of Fish’ to attending a senior dance, joining a one-day bus excursion, enrolling in a class, volunteering their time at a charity fundraiser, etc.

So I urge you to never, never, never give up dreaming that you too will find love, if that happens to be among your personal dreams in life.

There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment. Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever.