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Back in May, I shared a notepad comic about my longtime motto, “100% of dreams come true.” I was nervous to share it. As I wrote in the piece, it felt almost foolish to stand by such a statement in the world we live in today, where undeniable atrocities are flashed before our eyes every time we pick up our phones, and when I’ve lived long enough to watch many of my own dreams fall apart, or at least not come true the way I’d imagined.
I was nervous, but I shouldn’t have been. My motto struck a chord, and I’ve been stunned by the comments, emails and messages I’ve gotten in response. Some of you have told me you’ve started to incorporate “100% of dreams come true” into your daily self-talk, have hung the print on your walls, and are sending the greeting card to loved ones.
Perhaps the best thing that happened as a result of sharing this piece is that some of you wrote me to tell me your dreams that’ve come true. Each time I got one of these notes, I felt such joy and hope – two things I think we could all use more of. I asked the senders if I could share their messages on HALMAIL, and they said yes. Here are some readers’ dreams that’ve come true. If you want, leave a comment with your own dream that’s come true.
“In 2023 when I was at quite a low point I had the thought that if I had a cabin and a cat that I could be happy. Now I live in a (small rented) cabin and have a one year old cat that I adore :)” - Katie
“At the end of last year I finally separated from my husband and moved me and my daughters back in with my mom, which is something I’ve wanted for years but never had a serious enough reason to justify doing. As soon as I did, I made three goals: Find the perfect job where I can also keep homeschooling, invest in my interests, and make some friends to make up for years of isolation. Within two months I found the perfect job, joined a weekly poetry workshop and made friends through it, and was welcomed into an excellent group of girl friends who I text with daily.” - Erica
“I have wanted a dog my entire life—asked for one for every holiday and in between growing up, but no success. I bought this chair when I moved out of my parents house after college and I was so excited, it was one of the first pieces of furniture I bought and thought I’d spend a lot of time reading and writing in it! (I didn’t lol) but I’ve moved this chair from living space to living space and just couldn’t bring myself to let it go even though I rarely sat in it.
Anyway, nearly 10 years after buying this chair and 30 years yearning for a dog I finally got a dog!! Her name is Zelda and guess what she is obsessed with this chair, her chair. Seeing her sit in it everyday brings me a certain joy I can’t even fully describe. 100% of Dreams do come true!!!!” - Ellyn
“My mom developed very bad arthritis and was in a ton of pain for two years. My parents aren’t eligible for any care and don’t have insurance or a ton of savings. At my wedding, she could barely walk. For one full year I made it my mission to figure out how to cover her expensive double hip replacement surgery. My dream was for her to walk again. I did find a charity that helped!! Now year three since this started she is walking again!!” - Yelena
“I have stage 4 endometriosis and was told by multiple doctors and surgeons over the course of the last decade that I would struggle to conceive or might not be able to carry a pregnancy. I cried and stressed and hoped for years that I’d be able to be pregnant and become a mom. I froze my eggs at 31 and my then-fiancé (now husband) and I had an IVF consultation scheduled for 2 months after our wedding last year.
Imagine our shock and joy at a surprise positive pregnancy test, almost exactly one year ago! We had a low-risk, healthy pregnancy and now the most beautiful baby girl. Dream come true!” - Casey
Here’s a dream of mine that came true: For years before I had twins, I said out loud, off the cuff, “it’d be so cool to have twins!” Twins don’t run in my or Jack’s families, and when we found out it was a total shock! And while I likely had twins because I’m a bit older, I like to think the universe heard me and said, “give that girl some twins!”
Thank you to everyone who share their dream come true with me, and please share yours in the comments!!
Thanks for being here,
❤️ Hal
Note: I’m illustrating my picture book this summer, so the newsletter will be much less handwritten for a while until I meet my deadline!
100% of dreams come true is now a greeting card, a print, and another print.
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