Sara Pickett Asks: "Do Dreamers Ever Really Sleep?"

You may think you don't know Sara Pickett but you probably do. Sara is the one who occasionally causes traffic jams throughout New York. She may be the reason you were late to work because some cab driver suddenly hit the brakes to get a glimpse of her beauty. She's the girl men wish would come to life on those billboards in the skyline. Appearing in advertisements for Ecko, Ford, Nike and Verizon Wireless, Sara's endearing smile may be the reason you upgraded your blackberry or switched carriers altogether.

Sara's your best friend when its time to straighten your curly hair or get touch ups around your edges. You probably never made the connection from the relaxer kits she is featured on to the prints in Glamour, Essence, Seventeen and Cosmo. Her versatility and range made her Marketing Exec's first pick for the principal role as "the girlfriend" or "best friend" in those addictive MTV music videos. Staying within the Viacom family, Sara appeared on the college themed B.E.T show: The Center, where she shared her own university life experience.

Coming from a close knit structured family with an older brother and sister, education was important to Sara. Sara attended Wesleyan University. She had initially planned on becoming a doctor but switched her major to psychology.

From the time she was nineteen, Sara had been on the go, balancing academics and work. Through work she was able to travel well. Her face was splashed through magazines and she seemed to be living an envious life for a student under twenty-one in Connecticut.

Then the summer before her senior year the unthinkable happened. At just twenty-six years old, Sara's brother Walter suddenly died of a heart attack on the fourth of July. She was devastated.

Dealing with an unexpected loss is like someone cutting the lungs out of your body and telling you to breathe. Biologically it feels impossible to continue existing. Spiritually it is possible. It is an inconsolable feeling beyond measure that can only be overcome by faith and time. Losing Walter changed Sara. After Walter's passing, she slowly began to look at life differently. Sara reflected on his life and his attributes which she says were: "staying connected with the people you care about the most and having compassion and humility."

As various thoughts spasmodically raced through her mind, Sara started asking herself, "What am I doing? Where have I been and Where am I going?" It was the beginning of a possible spiritual re-examination.

One year later Sara finally graduated from Wesleyan with a bachelor of science in Psychology. She could have been loudly celebrating but instead like a valedictorian living in Times Square during finals week, Sara desperately wanted silence.

"My first year out of college (college being like a semi-safe haven from the evils of the real world) I found myself seeking people, books and movies to give myself knowledge on how to maintain my sense of self which i actually liked quite a bit. I wanted to maintain my self esteem and fight without having to physically fight the negativity that I was in and around."

In her recent best seller book- Audition, Barbara Walters eluded to the fact that when you are in the industry you're always "on" and you're always "auditioning." The purpose of an audition is to be accepted for whatever role you are playing. If you're always "on" and "auditioning" then when are you ever being yourself or not playing a role?

These are some of the questions that constantly preoccupied Sara's mind as she became somewhat reclusive. Sara began to feel the contradiction of her dreams and the cult-like environment in which they are not birthed yet are secluded in. Sara sought asylum for her soul by searching for a balance between her dreams and who she really was.

"We are so busy at work, we can't do our souls work," explains Sara. "People can't even do what's fundamental in life and love because everyone is just too busy," she says.

"I did not want the hard work of my parents and those older people who've had a positive impact on me and my development to go to waste. I did not want their efforts to raise a good child to be sucked up and eaten alive by people who don't love me unconditionally and don't have my best interests in mind. I wanted to remain intact and not be fragmented by those who could be perceived as empty, lost, soulless, caught up and misguided."

Estranged from a malevolent world of frequent chaos and mania, Sara was able to think. Silence allows you to see things that you may have never seen before even if they were right in front of your eyes. You even hear things that may have been inaudible in the past.

Sara Pickett started to get back to being Sara Pickett. "A young woman committed to true sisterhood, growth and happiness. The friend who is laid back, passionate, fun, inquisitive, caring, and independent." That is her personal self description of who she really is.

"As my mindset improved I found more things on a daily basis that inspired me, made he happy, and uplifted my soul-even if ever so slightly. You must really open your eyes. Wake up and look," she confides. "I see beauty in everything except war, greed, hate and abuse. I also finds beauty in watching the BBC series, Planet Earth," she says. Clarity before falling is a blessing.

"I began to look at life, culture, and people differently. I began to ask those questions like what is the purpose of life? What happens when we pass? Those big life questions. In hindsight, I think thru asking those questions out loud and having them in my subconscious I manifested answers in the form of a beginning of a spiritual awakening. Soon I found myself exposed to classes, books, people, places, and jobs that moved me closer to many spiritual realizations. Along the way I kept a journal as a way to clear my mind from the racing inspired thoughts that frequently cluttered my mind.. Further, I found so much information that I thought would be beneficial to others and help others feel good about themselves and their lives -- however when passionately suggesting the ideas, books, and movies- people would often listen with half an ear. As a result I found myself jotting down these suggestions instead. Over maybe the course of a year, year and a half I filled up my personal notebook and my book was complete."

Printed in Sara's actual hand-writing "Do Dreamers Ever Really Sleep? A Journal of Random Thoughts on Life's Stuff" is an assortment of thoughts that decorate the mind with strength and light. It is a resourceful retreat for the soul that is comparative to non other for it is a truthful diary of a young woman's spiritual journey and elevation through the illusion of cultural manipulation. Covering theories that also relate to love, media and politics, Sara welcomes friends and readers to share her process of self awareness and the importance of understanding the power of the mind. Sara's intimate journal is a scrapbook style book that is filled with clips quotes, pictures and small drawings. Available July 1st, "Do Dreamers Ever Really Sleep?" is an engaging book that everyone deserves to read.

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