crydun
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This was published in our local newspaper last spring. Enjoy! Feedback is welcome.
Cherish Your Dreams!
In my short life so far, one thing has become clear to me: Those who make something of their lives have dreams to live for. They have a plan that they have played out in their mind. I believe that dreams are essential to survival. When you have nothing, you can dream of having everything.
My mother grew up in a very poor, dysfunctional family. She lost her mother and grandparents within nine months of each other. Shortly after her mother’s death, her father lost his job. He often took his anger out on his children. She claims that she had no dreams as a child. This sent me into shock. How could she not have had dreams? Everybody dreams. Mom replied “I guess when you are concerned with finding food, a place to sleep at night and staying out of the way so you don’t get beaten, you don’t have time for daydreaming. You have to concentrate on survival.”
I mulled her words over in my mind. I didn’t grow up in an abusive home so I don’t know what that feels like. However, maybe if one had something to look forward to, to dream about, they can escape the harsh sting of reality and go somewhere where dreams come true and no one can hurt them.
When I was a child, at bedtime, Mom would tuck me in and tell me to go to “Candyland.” This was long before I’d even heard of the board game with the same name. She would talk in a soft voice and tell me things about Candyland. The streams were made of chocolate syrup. The trees were made of lollipops. The roads were made of lemon candy and so on. As I closed my eyes, I saw visions of these things in my mind and I dreamed of going there.
I set goals early in life. Being disabled, I always felt the need to challenge myself to do better, to prove the experts wrong. I dreamed of becoming a singer, a doctor, a deejay, and most importantly, a teacher. I played school daily with my pretend classroom.
Not long ago, I hit a crossroad. I was debating between two college career choices. Then, one rainy day, my mother and I were looking through piles of papers. Among those papers, we found a game that I had written in the third grade. Mom would start certain sentences and I had to fill in the rest. We came to one that read “If I could be anything in the world, I’d be ______. My third-grade hand had written “a teacher.” It was like an omen from God. He seemed to be telling me that my childhood dreams were correct and following them would fulfill His plan.
That made my decision easy. I immediately started taking education classes and making plans to become a teacher. When I graduate college in June, I will go on to become a certified teacher.
What dreams are hidden in your heart? Whatever they are, I encourage you to follow them. They were probably placed there long ago, when you were a child, perhaps. If you can’t think of any, here’s my recipe. Go find a quiet place, preferably outdoors or a natural environment. Make yourself comfortable (I like to curl up on the swing.). Take a deep breath to relax your body and mind. Close your eyes and let your heart speak to you like it did when you were a child. Cherish your dreams, friend. In the end, they are all you have.
Cherish Your Dreams!
In my short life so far, one thing has become clear to me: Those who make something of their lives have dreams to live for. They have a plan that they have played out in their mind. I believe that dreams are essential to survival. When you have nothing, you can dream of having everything.
My mother grew up in a very poor, dysfunctional family. She lost her mother and grandparents within nine months of each other. Shortly after her mother’s death, her father lost his job. He often took his anger out on his children. She claims that she had no dreams as a child. This sent me into shock. How could she not have had dreams? Everybody dreams. Mom replied “I guess when you are concerned with finding food, a place to sleep at night and staying out of the way so you don’t get beaten, you don’t have time for daydreaming. You have to concentrate on survival.”
I mulled her words over in my mind. I didn’t grow up in an abusive home so I don’t know what that feels like. However, maybe if one had something to look forward to, to dream about, they can escape the harsh sting of reality and go somewhere where dreams come true and no one can hurt them.
When I was a child, at bedtime, Mom would tuck me in and tell me to go to “Candyland.” This was long before I’d even heard of the board game with the same name. She would talk in a soft voice and tell me things about Candyland. The streams were made of chocolate syrup. The trees were made of lollipops. The roads were made of lemon candy and so on. As I closed my eyes, I saw visions of these things in my mind and I dreamed of going there.
I set goals early in life. Being disabled, I always felt the need to challenge myself to do better, to prove the experts wrong. I dreamed of becoming a singer, a doctor, a deejay, and most importantly, a teacher. I played school daily with my pretend classroom.
Not long ago, I hit a crossroad. I was debating between two college career choices. Then, one rainy day, my mother and I were looking through piles of papers. Among those papers, we found a game that I had written in the third grade. Mom would start certain sentences and I had to fill in the rest. We came to one that read “If I could be anything in the world, I’d be ______. My third-grade hand had written “a teacher.” It was like an omen from God. He seemed to be telling me that my childhood dreams were correct and following them would fulfill His plan.
That made my decision easy. I immediately started taking education classes and making plans to become a teacher. When I graduate college in June, I will go on to become a certified teacher.
What dreams are hidden in your heart? Whatever they are, I encourage you to follow them. They were probably placed there long ago, when you were a child, perhaps. If you can’t think of any, here’s my recipe. Go find a quiet place, preferably outdoors or a natural environment. Make yourself comfortable (I like to curl up on the swing.). Take a deep breath to relax your body and mind. Close your eyes and let your heart speak to you like it did when you were a child. Cherish your dreams, friend. In the end, they are all you have.
