FOCUS : Don’t sleep on your dreams

Our high school teacher, Madam Miriam, did not tire to recount how her beautiful orchard came into being. One day, she bought an orange for her ten-year-old twins, Gloria and Martin. When she got home, Gloria was not there. She then gave Martin the orange and asked him to share it with his sister who was playing at a neighbour’s house. However, Martin ate the orange hoping his sister would not know.When Gloria returned, she found three orange seeds on a table. When she asked Martin about it, he lied that a visitor had eaten an orange and left the seeds on the table.On asking her mother, Gloria found out her brother had lied. Martin had eaten the orange and did not bother to keep a share for his twin sister. As any mother would, Miriam got angry with Martin and caned him. However, Gloria pleaded with her mother to stop. Gloria said she would plant the three seeds so that they could have enough oranges to share in future. The three seeds did not germinate. However, Gloria did not give up. Whenever her mother bought oranges, Gloria would ensure she planted the seeds. Two germinated after her fifth attempt. Encouraged, she planted more and tended them. A few years later, Miriam started to supply our school and neighbouring institutions with oranges. She later ventured into animal husbandry. Her farm now sits on an expansive piece of land. Being in our teens then, we cared more about eating her oranges than listening to Madam Miriam. But today as I reflect on the tale, I see the lesson she wanted us to learn, that we can turn any ideas we have into grand fortunes. Like Gloria, many of us hold dreams that we are passionate about. We hope one day we would become software developers, run in the Olympics or play in the World Cup. We wish to achieve big things like owning a house. Regardless of how these dreams came into our minds, it is possible to fulfil them. However, for many of us, the most difficult task always lies in how to start. We dread the first steps and the challenges involved. We become anxious of what our friends would say. We doubt if we are equal to the task. We then start to visualise obstacles thus scuttling our dreams. When you are enthusiastic about something and believe in yourself, do not fear the risks. Take the initiative to plant the first seed. Sages say that every little step in the right direction is worth rejoicing. Yes, like in Gloria’s case, we shall encounter impediments. People may deride us that we are obsessed with things that are futile. Others may label us, failures. But do not get disheartened. Dejection will send you into a bottomless pit of gloom. When things are not working, assess your strategies and refine them. Change your plans in a way that permits your dream to grow. Cultivate and be attached to it. One way to do this is to share your aspirations with your family and friends who will support you. Through their advice and words of encouragement, you will acquire strength to soldier on. Gloria shared her dream with her mother and got support. She discovered her first seeds did not grow because ants ate them. When she planted them in a different location and they germinated, she became confident. Therefore, be watchful and eliminate things that will attempt to strangle your dream. When the first seed sprouts, it will boost your morale. And as your dream germinates in the physical world, let it also take root inside you. Give it space in your mind and heart. Each of your thought and action should become the future seed of your dream. dedantos2002@yahoo.com