Dreams Can Come True

 This article of mine appeared in the 'Femina' dated Feb 23-1990

No! Life is not a fairytale.

We could believe that it is. Then we will have to wait for some fairy godmother to materialize, wave her wand and produce custom tailored gowns and princes for us.

The truth however, is that we have to base our lives on something more solid than day-dreaming.  If we want something from life we must pay for it in terms of  faith, hard work and perseverance.

Robert Schuller in 'Discover your possibilities' says: "When faced with a mountain I will not quit, I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath or simply stay and turn the mountain into a goldmine."

I read somewhere that there are two tragedies in life. One is not to get our heart's desire and the other one is to get it. No! it is not a misprint. the tragic part about achieving what we had so much set our hearts upon is that we are sometimes unaware of the price tag that comes along with the prize. More often than not it is dearer than we had anticipated.

The above does not mean that we put our dreams to rust in the attic. It only means that we should first test our dreams, only then must we push relentlessly towards our goal. We have to rejoice at our best efforts and make sure not to miss the sunshine, butterflies and breeze on the way. One has to learn to encounter life with an adventurous spirit that finds magic in everyday things. Happiness is not a constant emotional fireworks show. It is contentment and faith that helps to discover God's plan even when our dreams do not come true.

Life is a beautiful journey for those who know to traverse the ups and downs of it.    

The journey is inevitable so it would be a tragedy if we did not learn how to enjoy the trip.