© Mark Hatfield

by Laurie Keit

Living well means different things to different people. To some it means a big house, fast car and lots of cash. To those who have these things, it may not be enough. To those who have never experienced these things, it might mean everything.

So I ask you, what is enough? How well are you living, and what is your dream machine? It is a fast car, a home spa or something else with a motor? Is it the promise of health, wealth and happiness? Writing a book? Travelling the world? Owning an island? You are a powerful creator. By choosing your thoughts, having a plan and taking action you can change your life and make your dreams come true.

When asked to write an article for the Dream Machines issue of CoastViews, I immediately thought of a Ferrari. I’ve had two in my life and was living pretty well during that time, so I could write about that.

But shortly after, we had a death in the family, and suddenly writing about a car didn’t seem so important. In the words of Randy Jackson, “Let’s get real.” And so, I will share with you a story.

Growing up, I remember the excitement and anticipation of seeing “Auntie Pat,” my mom’s childhood friend from kindergarten.

I knew Auntie Pat from a child’s perspective. Like the ocean tides ebb and flow, Auntie Pat came in and out of my life. She was there for special occasions and an occasional visit. Then she was out again, following her own dreams and raising her children.

Later on in life, she changed her name and spent four years working with Charles Mendel Landes on a scholarly publication about the 613 commandments, entitled “For It Is Written.” She was a lover of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and her room at her retirement center was a Disney buff’s Shangri La.

The reason I’m sharing this with you is because in her late 70s she announced that she was going to be a stand-up comedian. This little tidbit garnered concern. Was Auntie Pat losing it? She had been a clown, literally, but would she be physically and emotionally ready for stand up?

The years passed, the tide ebbed, and it wasn’t until two months ago that she came back into my life, in a hospice bed. For the next month, I visited Auntie Pat, and it felt more like a party than an ending. Laughter and love surrounded her wherever she went.

The point is she was a comedian; lying down, standing up, it didn’t matter — she was genuinely funny. And yes, she did become a performing comedian.

Three days before she died she was doing an imitation of a Walmart greeter — a job she had held. Her imitation — modeled after one done by her son, Jack — was a cross between “the robot” dance and the tin man just after Dorothy oiled him, and it was hysterical.

Auntie Pat tried for years to have a baby and was unsuccessful – so she adopted first Mike and later his sister, Melinda. Years later, she found herself pregnant with Jack, fulfilling her dream of motherhood threefold.

A few years ago she went on a family vacation to Disneyland for the first time, and finally met Mickey and Minnie.

Do you remember a few years ago, when The Secret was published to wide acclaim? There were celebrity spokespeople, books, tapes, a website and even a movie. The information focused on the Law of Attraction, which is the fuel pump for your dream machine. Your thoughts are the fuel.

This law is present today and recited in old adages: “you reap what you sow,” “you are what you think about,” “thoughts are things.”

Your mind is the most complex, powerful dream machine ever invented. The electromagnetic energy in your brain has enough juice to light a city. The question is how are you using it? We spend so much time looking out, distracted by “stuff,” that we fail to use our own equipment to fulfill our dreams.

My thanks to Patricia Westerfield of Genesis for reminding me of these truths, and teaching me how to work my dream machine.

You can read more about the Law of Attraction on the Web. Will this be the key to your dream machine?