Do not dare not to dare.

—C.S. Lewis, twentieth-century British author

Dreaming is an inalienable right. We knew this as children. We believed we could be or do anything we imagined. Astronaut, Egyptologist, prima ballerina, mother of a dozen children, President of the United States—sure, why not? Unfortunately, as adults we often put our dearest dreams away, as life hands us unexpected challenges or circumstances and the harsh realities of economic necessity whittle away at our energy and our hopes. Dreaming truly becomes a dare.

This section is meant to underscore that dreaming is your privilege, and to outline why we must dream. When we dream we make meaning of life, discover the essence of ourselves, truly grow up, and most importantly, model for children how to dream. As you read the accounts of women who are wrestling with the dare of dreaming, you may want to give voice to your own story, and I encourage you to do so. The act of writing down our dreams allows us to own them and eventually act on them. As you recognize that dreaming is essential, your story will be woven into this tapestry of women’s voices, who like you, are daring to dream.