This week I had the great good fortune to be sitting in an exquisite concert hall listening to the unparalleled voice of opera goddess Kathleen Battle performing for the opening night gala at the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Before the performance, several people gave speeches to mark Koerner Hall’s 10 ^th anniversary, including Dr. Peter Simon, who initiated the major build that created this magnificent space. He began with a vision of bringing diverse musicians and audience members together to share in the beauty of music and, Dr. Simon explained, he had imagined that maybe, every now and again, together we might experience a piece of heaven.

Imagine that.

His vision was to create something that maybe, just maybe, would offer a piece of heaven.

How bold. How sublime.

I turned to Justin right away and whispered, “I need to dream bigger!”

What I meant by “bigger” was “free of limitations”. I meant that it’s time to scrub away the dirt on any self-imposed glass ceilings and realize that they are not there. I meant that it’s time to remember that I have the freedom to dream whatever I choose to dream.

If Peter Simon can dream of offering a piece of heaven, what can I dream? What can you?

What if we were all that bold?

Imagine the dazzling world this would be.

PS. I must say that Peter achieved his dream when Kathleen Battle sang Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and we all held our breath.