Dreams On Wheels Part VII: Dream Research: How Are People Doing During These Tough Times?

Thought for the Day: The Dreams On Wheels 2012 tour was more than a book tour. It was also a traveling research project to assess how American's dreams & aspirations are faring during these difficult economic times. The tour covered CT, NY, PA, MD, VA, & OH, but we met & interviewed people from around the United States. It will take some time to edit all the videotaped interviews & I will make more in depth observations from our study, however, my initial assessment is that dreamers are alive & well across this nation.

In NYC we met Mitch, an aspiring young singer/actor from Ohio and his mother, a teacher. In Baltimore, we spoke with a young woman whose dreams to become a chef were shifting to becoming a restaurant owner. We also heard how a retiree from Florida's dreams evolved. As a young woman, she broke away from what were the only options for women, to become a teacher, nurse, or secretary. She chose to become an interior decorator only to discover later in life that she preferred teaching. After completing a second career as a teacher, she was living her dreams of travel in retirement. A businessman from Philadelphia told us about how he had just landed his dream job in the midst of the current economic difficulties. In Virginia, we spoke to ex-convicts from Boaz & Ruth getting a second chance in life & moving towards their dreams. We also met with student leaders & visionary alumni from a progressive fraternity (Elimination of Prejudice). They are working to end prejudice & bullying on college campuses across the USA & Canada. In Ohio, we talked with senior citizens at Menorah Park, where they are being helped to accomplish their life long dreams.

As my team finishes up their summer internships & return to school to continue their studies as they move on towards their dreams & a new team takes over, more of the dreamer's stories from this summer's traveling tour & research project will be posted. Stay tuned for a vlog with short clips in their own words & interviews with visionary leaders about how they have accomplished their dreams despite adversity. There will also be two additional stops on the tour in September in Florida (A Child Is Missing) & Massachusetts (The Cynthia Lucero Memorial Run at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP)), so stay tuned to hear more about dreams & aspirations.