This is something I wrote recently. I am still working on adding more to it. Thanks for reading.
A TIME FOR EVERY DREAM
We hear stories of dreamers who turn into successful entrepreneurs and creative icons all the time. They become our inspiration to create our own success stories.
Sometimes we wonder at how these high achievers had the will to break the norm and follow their hearts despite obstacles that stand in the way.
Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of how I would take a trip around the world by plane.
Travel fascinated me, and it was at a time when only the rich got to travel that way. Tickets were too expensive, and plane rides were a luxury I couldn’t afford.
I never stopped dreaming about getting onto a plane when I was old enough, venturing into another time zone, or visiting far-off places.
I come from a middle-class family. I had other responsibilities to think about before thinking of fulfilling my dreams, so my dreams became a vision.
When I completed high school, the idea of studying away from home took rise in my wayfarer’s mind.
It was an opportunity for me to travel by plane to another country, plus acquire world-class education.
I remember my parents asking me what I wanted to study next. Unless provided with a scholarship, tertiary education was expensive.
However, they were people who believed that education was the key to success and had always supported their children to pursue their dream of higher education, believing it to be a worthwhile investment that will pay off, eventually.
Then came the time to tell them of my intention to study abroad.
I knew that it would be hard on their purse strings. Would they agree to support me in my plans? I never stopped praying that I could leave to study abroad one day. The idea held so much promise for someone who wanted to travel. There was a whole new world waiting out there to set foot on, explore, and learn.
However, the difficult part was to tell them of my intention to leave home. I would be putting them in a tight situation as they had my siblings' welfare to think about.
I plucked up courage and relayed my intention when the time was right, the thought of flying faraway uppermost in my mind.
While relating my desire to them, I felt the excitement of leaving to another place embolden me. I started envisioning getting on that flight. And, they hadn’t even agreed to my leaving home!
Mom looked ashen when she heard my plans.
It was her firstborn who wanted to leave the nest. She said that she would have to think about it. She asked me to consider another line of study other than the one I had chosen and why did I want to study abroad? She asked me to finish my tertiary education at home. Dad said the same thing, saying that he wouldn't be able to afford the extra expenditure that came with the studies.
I would have reconsidered my decision just to please them, but a couple of days later, dad came home from work and told mom and me to start packing. He found a way to finance me.
He had been thinking about it since the time I spoke to him. He told mom that he had applied for a study loan from the government service. He wanted me to make something of myself, and most of all achieve my dreams. He wanted mom to accompany me on my first trip, to make sure that everything was alright where I was going. Once I was settled, she would return home.
I cried when I heard him. That was dad. Always looking out for my interest. His children always came first for him.
My dream of flying became a reality at the age of sixteen and I did get to travel to different places by plane over the years. It did pay to believe in dreams.
So, I say to you, never stop dreaming. Most importantly, make every effort to make those dreams come true. Even dreams need hard work before becoming a lifelong achievement.
The End.
