Something in our imaginations twists us into fantastic tales of teeth falling out, bouncing around in enormous marshmallows in the sky, failing semesters in classes we’ve never attended, taking a walk in the park down the street that’s also a spaceship the minute we close our eyes and drift off to sleep. Sometimes we’re a superhero rescuing the day, and other times we’re waiting for a superhero to rescue the day. A place where you can be anybody or anything. A place where worlds merge and imagination comes to life.

What kind of person would you be??? What superpowers would you wield? What would you do if you could make a difference???

Nothing happens, they say, unless you first dream.

I WAS DREAMING. I fantasised about being the strongest to protect the ones I care about. I imagined myself as the wisest person for the people I care about. In vain, I wished to be a hero for others. I fantasised about being a grin that could lift anyone’s spirits when they were down. I imagined myself as someone who inspires others to achieve and shine. I wished for those who love and care about me to look up to me and be inspired by me. Always wanted everyone to think that this is a man who believes in himself and that there is no event, no possible outcome, and no specific consequence that could cause his faith to be shattered.

But, staring deep into the darkness, I stood there for a long time, wondering, dreading, questioning, imagining fantasies no mortal had ever dared to dream before, always wondering whether I could ever be this person, if I had it in me to live up to my own aspirations.

I’ve made my fair share of good and poor decisions, and if I had to sum up everything I’ve learnt in one sentence, I’d say “if a person does not focus on dreams, he forgets to live.” It is impossible to lose or undreamed what has been imagined.

Even heroes require assistance from time to time. Everyone takes hits from this thing called life like a brawler, and for some, it is enough to keep them from getting up. So was a time in my life when someone reminded me of the worth of my dreams and encouraged me to believe in myself again, — “You are something between a dream and a miracle,” she used to say to me. “Don’t ever let somebody take this away from you, because without it, you would lose yourself in a nothingness.” Something that would stay with me for the rest of my life. I learned to believe in my dreams, which was a valuable lesson. If someone tells you that you’re flying too high, tell them that you’ll get used to looking up. When someone informed me that this place was too huge for my dreams, I replied that your city was too tiny for me. That’s the power of believing in yourself and your dreams. I was a devil’s advocate, and she was a divine intervention who convinced me to believe in my dreams. It was never about the distance or how far I could travel, I realised.

Still haven’t figured out where I’m heading with this??? ‘DREAM’ is still the same thing I started with. If you ever wanted to be a hero, this is your chance!!! Do it for the people you care about, for your pride, because how will you know who you are unless you try…

How far have you dreamed yet???

“We are the music-makers,

And we are the dreamers of dreams,

Wandering by lone sea-breakers,

And sitting by desolate streams.

World-losers and world-forsakers,

Upon whom the pale moon gleams;

Yet we are the movers and shakers,

Of the world forever, it seems.”

― Arthur O’Shaughnessy, Poems of Arthur O’Shaughnessy