PROFILE OF A DREAMER*
It was a classic “Sword in the Stone” story…with a twist.
Joyce Chapman used to poke fun at her friend’s “tin can” car. So when she drove up behind the car one morning with a key stuck in the hatchback lock, Joyce chuckled at the sight. “Now your car looks like a sardine can,” Joyce observed, “with one of those key-type things that you twist around the perimeter to open it.”
Her friend was not amused. “That key is stuck,” she lamented. “I’ve tried and tried to pull it out – even took it to the shop and let the mechanic give it a try. He said I’d have to have the entire thing replaced – key, lock and all. I’m not thrilled about it, so let’s just drop it and be on our way.” Joyce couldn’t resist the challenge – the opportunity – represented by that key. In the blink of an eye, she hopped out of the car. “What are you doing?” her friend shouted. Joyce flashed an impish grin. Then, with mock pomp and circumstance, she lay her hand on the key.
“If I am to facilitate peace on earth, “ Joyce grandly proclaimed, “then this key will come free right now!” She pulled with all her might; leaning backward so as to put her full weight into the effort. The key popped out easily into her hand – so easily, in fact, Joyce nearly lost her balance. Both women were stunned. Had a miracle occurred?
Joyce felt a dizzying sense of elation as she gazed at the prize in her palm. “May I keep this key? she asked breathlessly? Her astonished friend, eyes glistening with tears, replied quietly, “Yes, of course, it’s yours.”
Joyce Chapman made a decision that morning. Her life changed in that moment. Today as she makes appearances to spread her good tidings, you may find her wearing that key around her neck. If not, rest assured she has it in a safe place, because that key – the perfect metaphor for problem-solving and freedom – serves as a constant reminder of her stated mission: to foster peace on earth.
That day Joyce Chapman awoke to her new dream. She took off like a rising star and never stopped. Her life has taken on proportions much larger than the wife/mother/teacher she was just a few years ago. Mother of four, grandmother of eleven and great-grandmother of six had been an educator for nearly two decades. She taught and trained teachers in the California public school system for 18 years and later developed and directed an innovative private school in San Diego.
Joyce decided one of the steps in making this dream come true was to return to school for her master’s degree in counseling psychology. “I wasn’t sure I could balance career, family and school,” she recalls, “but it was no longer a choice for me. Accomplishing and living my dream had become my life!”
Always charismatic and engaging, she has been designing classes, presenting workshops, counseling individuals, facilitating groups, delivering lectures and generally embracing the healing on the planet ever since. Her work is impeccable, and her message, simple. “Live your dream!” she implores. It’s more than advice; it’s the banner under which Joyce does what she does. Live Your Dream is the name of both her consulting firm and her first book.
The consummate educator, Joyce now teaches in the classroom of life. Far beyond jingoism and mere positive thinking, her teachings present clear, step-by-step techniques to encourage people to discover their dreams and bring them forth in full, living color and detail. For example, Joyce’s latest book, Journaling for Joy, demonstrates how the personal writing process may lead to profound self-discovery and growth. Through her books, consultations and presentations, Joyce has touched literally thousands of people, inspiring them to a fuller, more joyful way of life.
“Each of us holds the key to our own knowing,” Joyce states. “Your dream is there inside of you, just waiting for you to unlock it and let it come out and play. When you do, you’ll join the ranks of what I call the ‘Actualized Dreamers’” If it sounds magical, Joyce will tell you with a twinkle in her eye that is it. “AND it often requires a great deal of commitment and lots of work,” she says, “work that enables you to arrive at the greatest possible joy.”
In this way – little by little – Joyce Chapman the Dreamer is fostering peace on earth. And it is right and good that she does so. After all, she was given the key.
* by Sheila Key
