Dreaming

What does taking Sunshine to the ballet, choosing Deep Water's grade 11 & 12 subjects, the Olympics and child sex slavery have in common?

Sunshine and I went to the ballet last week, just her and I. This gave us precious time to chat in the car. Am sure those of you who have multiple children will agree that finding quality 1:1 time with each of your children sometimes proves a challenge and that 'car time' dropping off and picking up one by one creates a lovely, captive space to talk. After watching this wonderful, creative, contemporary ballet performance, Sunshine was totally inspired and talked non stop all the way home, dreaming out loud, sharing her vivid imagination for future hopes in dancing, owning a ballet school, teaching dance, all inclusive of her BFFs (best friends) of course who share similar dreams. I was struck again by how beautiful childhood dreams are. Reminded also of my recent time at Kamarooka and sharing my friend's childhood dream of owning her own farm, come true.

Almost every Olympic medal won, was first conceived in the imagination and dreams of some young girl or boy aspiring to be a champion athlete. Deep Waters and I attended a subject selection evening at school this week, discussing the virtues of physics, chemistry, biology along with other subjects - exploring out of the box subjects such as ICT, aerospace, legal studies and weighing them all up in view of what DW likes and is good at. Wow it feels like he has to decide what he wants to be at age 15! Such huge pressure these days to choose subjects that will prepare you for life! University included. So we have talked about almost every possible profession under the sun from medicine to law, to forensic and genetic science, bio medical research to engineering, architecture, accounting, being a pilot, statistics, even the possibility of being a professional soccer player to find something that captivates DW's imagination. We have one week to decide!

We spent ages last night discussing this before bed. DW asked about all the males in our family and why they chose what their current professions are. We have a lawyer, a vet, a forest researcher, an electrician, a draftsman, a diesel mechanic, a nurse. An interesting exercise. DW asked some really pertinent questions around whether the significant males in his life actually enjoy what they do now? He asked why Dad chose to become a nurse not a doctor, is that what he really wanted to be? [Actually he really wanted to be a pilot but his eye sight wasn't good enough]. Why did Granddad chose law & to be a magistrate when he is an extreme introvert (hermit kind)? All valid & good questions but couldn't answer. I suggested he ask them individually to find out more.

What were you dreaming at 15? Discovering a cure for cancer? Winning a gold medal? Opening an orphanage in India, becoming a doctor, nurse, teacher, movie star, developing the world wide web (if only) getting married, having children, owning a farm, starting a business, retiring by 30? We ALL have hopes, dreams, imaginings, some grander, wilder & nobler than others as Sir Richard Branson has taught the world, dream big, it just might come true! Some humble, simple dreams of being happy, healthy and of helping others.

Funny I think back to being 15 and the subjects I chose in grade 11 & 12 and of how they didn't prepare me for life and really how insignificant they are now. They certainly did influence further future decisions though; modern history, drama, art, French, maths, English. I failed maths because I was chatting to my future husband too much & not concentrating, however I had studied & loved French for 5 years so chose to study in Switzerland at age 19 yrs in some vain attempt to become bilingual and have since learnt Mandarin Chinese. I love languages but now do very little with them. I once dreamt of being a translator. Now I am a nurse educator and doing a Masters in Health Science which I would never have dreamt of doing at age 15 - I hated science back then! So dreams/hopes/goals certainly do change with time, age and circumstances.

Which leads me to thinking about young girls as in Iran who are betrothed to marry as young as 9yrs.  Girls being abducted in Nepal, Burma, Thailand and sold to become prostitutes against their free will. An abhorrent situation. Here Sunshine dreams of dancing while other girls her age, almost another world away dream of freedom. What do they dream of? Being free? Being 'normal'? Being loved, not raped? Of being home? Being able to simply go to school and get an education? We take so much for granted here in Australia.

DW asked me last night why I chose to be a nurse. I had quite a profound experience when I was working in Mali, West Africa at age 20 on an agricultural project with YWAM. I have since a young girl always dreamed of living overseas doing humanitarian work, so to work in Mali was part fulfilment of that. Living in Taiwan also brought some fulfilment of this too. But it was in Mali I met amazing Swiss nurses helping Mali women give birth safely, look after themselves and get basic medical care that otherwise would have left them with fistulas, infections, at worst die or have life limiting health issues. I saw that nursing was the best way to 'serve' and care for others, it was a ticket to the world. With nursing I could go anywhere do anything. So with no science in my grade 11, 12 subjects applied to university and amazingly got in! I was a guinea pig in the first PBL nursing course in Australia so it was a free degree!

Also in Mali, I had another epiphany experience, sitting under a tree reading a book. A young Mali girl came up to me. We couldn't speak to each other as she didn't speak French (their national language) as girls are not educated in Mali and I couldn't speak Bambara, her tribal language. She kept pointing to the book, as if surprised that as a woman I could read. I gave her the book and prayed that one day she would be able to read it. I then felt this incredible exchange. Why was I born in Australia? Why was I not born in Mali like this girl? I could be this girl, born in Mali, married by age 16, have 4 kids by the age of 20. Why did I get the privilege of an education in Australia, 12years of it that I never had really appreciated until that very moment. I felt so incredibly privileged to have simply been able to go to school. What would I do with my education? Help girls like her, someway, somehow.

The questions begs, why did I have to go to Mali to decide to be a nurse? Who knows, but I guess it serves as a good reminder to me as a parent now to not expect my own children to know or chose what they want to be at 15! I think a gap year or two is actually a really good idea if you are unsure of what you want to do. I had a 3yr gap between school and Uni. 

How lucky/blessed are we here in Australia, that our children can have an education, can have wild and wonderful dreams, such liberty, such innocence. I have come to really appreciate the power and beauty of dreaming afresh this week. It should never be taken for granted or dismissed rather nurtured and fostered. Much of what starts in our imaginations becomes a reality. So be careful what you dream, it's free, it may come true. Dream big, dream long, dream when you sleep, when you're awake, dream out loud, dream together, dream for a better world without human trafficking, of the world beyond the grave, of young girls being able to chose their futures rather than having their futures stolen and chosen for them.

Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."

If you are interested in finding out more and/or supporting girls to find a better future can I recommend the following; 

Destiny Rescue

HELP

World Vision Don't Trade Lives