chasing dreams

the first time i breathed a breath of nashville air was less than a year ago. i was up for ministrycom, a communications conference, and during the couple of days we were here, i fell in love with it. after i got home, i told chris that we had to visit sometime on vacation. maybe our fifth anniversary or something (which ironically, was the day we moved…)

i think i finally figured out what it is about nashville that is so appealing. it’s not a place where people go to settle down. it’s not a place where people go to be comfortable.

it is a place where people go to chase their dreams.

most of the time, those dreams take sweat, blood and tears to achieve. it requires living simply, working wherever and whenever you can so that in the few hours you have left, you can spend them working out whatever that dream is.

and for whatever reason, nashville is one of those places where a lot of people go to do that.

maybe it’s because it’s where country music was born, and now so many artists flock here. i think when people are chasing their dreams, something spiritual happens and it draws people in. people who don’t want to be comfortable.

it’s a bit paradoxical, but i am comfortable being uncomfortable. chris is technically self-employed, so we don’t know how much he’ll make a month or if he’ll have to pick up side jobs along the side. and yeah, it’s scary. it’s really uncomfortable. but seeing him chase his dream is one of the most beautiful things i’ve ever seen.

Comments

14 responses to “chasing dreams”

  1. Kenyon Avatar

    YES! Why work so hard to be “comfortable” or live a “normal” life? As Dave Ramsey says: “Normal is broke.”

  2. Phil Thompson Avatar

    That’s an awesome perspective on Nashville and i think it can apply to many of us even in different parts of the country.

  3. Andy Depuy Avatar

    Anne
    Let me welcome you to Nashville and you hit it head on. The way you described Nashville. Let me invite you anytime to UC if Pete will let you come over.

  4. Melissa Irwin Avatar

    Anne, a rare few of us were even born in Nashville. I’m a native because my dad was chasing a dream….but we won’t talk about how that turned out. I love the diversity of Nashville. So many people are surpised how little our town represents anything “country”. Welcome. Enjoy!

  5. Stretch Mark Mama Avatar

    Ministrycom! I was there myself. And it was there that my husband and I decided to move to the Pacific Northwest.

  6. bran Avatar

    So glad following your dream included Nashville and so very glad our paths have crossed!

  7. Harold Avatar
    Harold

    There is nothing as exciting and challenging and frightening and exhausting and promising as chasing your dream. Good luck and enjoy. These are times you will cherish.

  8. BUSH Avatar

    you guys are going to love Nashville. it definitely is a place to chase one’s dreams. i’m excited to see how your journey unfolds here.

    if you guys like beer. you need to go to the Yazoo Brewery. my favorite place & favorite beer in this city.

  9. Crystal Renaud Avatar

    there is seriously nothing more comfortable than being that sweet kind of uncomfortable. i am so gosh darn happy for you. i simply can’t wait to visit!!!!!

  10. Marla Taviano Avatar

    We were thisclose to moving to Nashville three years ago. (even lost a little bit of $ in a house down there) But God kept us here in OH, and we’re uncomfortably chasing our dreams in a slightly-less dreamy locale.

    I liked this post. :)

  11. kristiapplesauce Avatar

    I am so stinkin excited for Chris. I love that you are supporting him like this. You are a rad wife.

  12. krysta Avatar

    exactly how i feel about l.a.

    thanks for the reminder of what it is about this city that made me grow to love it :)

  13. Joshua Brown Avatar

    Hey Anne – Very cool to hear you share that. Laura and I have seen our dreams materialize in so many ways since moving to Nashville – but the awesome thing is we’ve been out of our comfort zones constantly! I thought moving to the “buckle of the Bible belt” would put us in an all-too-comfortable setting, but it definitely hasn’t. Instead God has used our time here so far to stretch our faith beyond anything we could imagine.

    And in the past month we have felt our passion to pursue another dream come alive and take off. And we’ve only been here for six months! I can’t wait to see what happens over the coming years and hope you and Chris find your faith journey to be an amazing one as well!

    We’ll be praying!

  14. Amy Avatar

    What a great way to describe Nashville. Sometimes it’s hard to explain it to people who don’t live here, but I think you’ve done a pretty darn good job.