What did you dream about at 12 years of age?

I spent the afternoon at the movie theater mesmerized by Les Misérables. I’ve seen the stage production several times both in London and on Broadway, and I’ve been anticipating the movie for months. It did not disappoint.

It was all I could do not to break into song with Eponine when she sings, “On My Own,” or Fontine as she captivates the screen with “I Dreamed a Dream.” The story is timeless. The performances in the movie were breathtaking. Come on, we’re talking Hugh Jackman; he is a STAR.

But, I have a confession to make. When the credits rolled across the screen, I couldn’t “place” Tom Hooper, the director. I didn’t remember what other work he had done in Hollywood so I googled him when I got home. Ah, of course, he won the Academy Award for Best Director for “The King’s Speech,” another movie I enjoyed.  And then a quote from Mr. Hooper captured my attention.

When asked about the London premiere, Hooper replied, “It felt like a deliverance,” he says, “and as I was sitting at the Empire, Leicester Square, I remembered going there as a kid. I used to have a ritual: I would stand in the doorway and make a commitment that one day I’d have a film of my own in that cinema. I still feel very much in touch with that 12-year-old.” [The (London) Observer; Dec. 29, 2012]

Pretty amazing, right? Hooper remembers his 12-year-old dream and, at the age of 40, is living that dream. What about your dreams? Are you living them? If not, what’s stopping you?

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