It Was Only Just A Dream… Or Was It?

If you’re anything like me, you live for the weekends. Being in your twenties, weeks are full of nine to fives, the gym (yikes, especially the week after the holidays), plenty of oatmeal for breakfast, and chicken breast for dinner. Weekends, on the other hand, are full of adventures and excursions, romance, pan-crepes and red wine, and if you are lucky, a few outstanding experiences with exceptional food. Yes, the weekend is that gold baton we strive for Monday through Friday; it pushes us through that final sprint to get us across the Friday afternoon finish line.

This week, though, despite some post-holiday doldrums, something happened that made it a bit more exciting than most.

Remember this?

Back in August, I attended orientation at the Institute of Culinary Education, and started to get the ball rolling on taking the school up on their promise: “We’re in the business of dreams.”

Then, this week, after multiple set-backs and months of discouraging phone calls with Sallie Mae loan officers, I finally saw these words flash across my computer screen:

“Congratulations! Your loan has been approved!”

At first, I couldn’t believe it, and had to mentally pinch myself. Then came the extreme excitement and  a well-warranted bout of hyperactivity as the reality sunk in. I am going to Culinary School. This is actually, finally, going to happen.

But not too shortly after, a bittersweet sentiment settled in the wake of the email. In one short year, I’ll hold a culinary arts diploma from the Institute of Culinary Education, and hopefully, be well on my way to my dream job – experiencing and writing about food full time. But I’ll also be paying back my students loans in the form of hundreds of dollars each month, apparently the bright yellow price tag that dangles from the ultimate acquisition: making your dreams come true.

So where does it all net out? Is it all worth it, at the end of the day? I’m still a strong believer in following your heart and dreams in life – it minimizes your regret, if nothing else. I also believe that personal passion is one of the strongest motivators for your greatest ambitions – far more so than money – but understand that this isn’t true for everyone. Still, I have to wonder, will this dream come true?

Well, who’s to say? I’ll find out in a year – and I expect to enjoy one hell of a ride getting there. As Mark Twain once said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Here’s to aiming high and meeting your goals, whether they be to make it into Harvard Law, or just to make it through the work week. You can do it, I promise 🙂

Oh, and keep on cooking!

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