Ever since I can remember my imagination took me to so many places, and sparked me to listen to my goals and aspirations. As a result, so many of my dreams, which were previously confined to my mind, but not lost, came true.
Every plan I had was immediately shared with my parents (lucky me) and met with an enthusiastic outburst of "that's a great idea!"
But if my memory serves me right. not all of these moments were met with a positive response when shared with others. The reactions were frowns and quizzical looks followed by a barrage of questions - Why are you going to do that? Why are you going there? Where will you live? What will you do? - Wherever it is you are going?
This phenomenon is often referred to as "raining on your parade". The phrase has a few cobwebs on it, but gained popularity from the song Don't Rain on my Parade" by Jule Styne performed by Barbra Streisand in the 1968 film "Funny Girl". Rachel Berry also performed the song in a 2009 episode of Glee.
These vibrant lyrics were belted out by these amazing artists and the words say it all!
"Don't tell me how to live....
Don't tell me how to fly...
Don't bring around a cloud
to rain on my parade!"
Let's take a closer look at this urge to launch out into the deep and share our hopes and dreams with the outside world. Now everyone is entitled to their opinions, but we are then often met with various "rain on your parade" feelings - and there is no shortage of them -
damper, diminish, discourage,
killjoy, spoil, destroy, disturb, ruin
So we could easily be hit by a downpour! We don't have to hold all our cards close when it comes to sharing our plans, hopes, dreams, and adventures with others - but just a heads up - the reception may be a surprise so don't forget your umbrella!
In closing, a great read on this subject is a blog by Amy Rees Anderson entitled:
"People only rain on your parade because they are jealous of your sun and tired of their shade."