The Myth of the Silk Purse: How to Keep Your Vision

I was living in Mexico in 2022, contemplating a return to the U.S., when my sister emailed asking if I would be interested in a derelict hunting shack on the property abutting the family farm where she and her husband live. She suggested that it could probably be gotten for the price of removing it, and sent pictures. 

It was unfinished and had been abandoned for years. Inside, a stained, mouse-eaten upholstered chair, a stool, a table on metal posts bolted to the floor, strings of flypaper black with dead flies, and leftover trash from take-out meals left me wondering who had occupied this place. The one large window was broken. Pink fiberglass insulation sagged between the studs and a plywood ceiling and floor completed the ambiance. It was not love at first sight. But she said the structure was sound and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. That 440 sq. ft. building had potential. 

There were other considerations. It would mean a move back to northern Minnesota winters. The farm was hours away from any of my daughters. Not only that, it was 40 miles from the nearest town with a grocery store. But after the traumatic years of Covid and the marauding monkeys in Bali, and nine months with 160,000 other people in the high desert city of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, the remote isolation of the farm spoke to me. 

I Started Sketching Plans and Told My Sister I Wanted It

Several weeks later, I was talking with a creative designer friend about my ideas. He listened to me gush for about three minutes, then said, “Honey, you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” I was completely taken aback and before I could even think, I responded with an indignant, “Just watch me!” 

That was three years ago. Now when people walk through the front door of my transformed hovel, their jaws drop. I’ve been vindicated!

I Kept to My Vision

I had a vision. I focused on it. I believed in it. No one else could see past the existing, sad mess.

That happens in many different ways by well-intentioned people in our lives, especially as we age. Some folks seem to know so much better than we do what’s good for us. But they can’t see inside our heads. As I started sharing my vision, I could have been influenced by the skepticism of friends. Based on their warnings, I might have scaled back my expectations and settled for something far less than my dream. 

Fortunately, I listened, evaluated their advice, took what made sense because some of it did, and created a home that thrills me over and over again. 

Hold Fast to Your Fire! 

Even if others cast doubt, believe in yourself. Dare to go for the silk purse. Maybe for you, that means travel, or writing a novel; better yet, a trilogy! Maybe it’s getting involved with a theater group, learning a new language, or starting your own company. But be prepared for a few Negative Nellies to cast clouds of gloom over your shiny, new idea.

You’re retired! 

You’ve earned your rest!

Why would you want to complicate your life?

You don’t really want to do that! 

You won’t have time for your grandchildren.

Are you sure you have the energy?

Have you talked to your kids?

Is your (husband, wife, partner) on board with this?

Don’t argue with them or try to defend yourself. You know your limits. Just smile and go about doing what you want to do. There’s way more potential in most of us than we’re given credit for. The fact that our birthdays have entered bigger numbers shouldn’t diminish our desires, or the courage to act on them. 

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Are you fired up about a special dream? What is it? Does it take a lot for you to hold fast to your dream? Have you heard any feedback that you used to achieve your dream?