Sunday, January 08, 2006

Ghana Skiers and Dreams

Jamaica had a bob sled team…now Ghana has a skiing team, albeit it of one man. Although he started skiing late, an Italian town is putting him up free so he can pursue his dream. A friend of mine would say, “HOW GOOD IS THAT?” I’d say real good.

Over the years I’ve pursued lots of dreams, some with better results than others, some that came true far later than my hopes. I had the daughter I always wanted. Some dreams tumbled and broke irreparably. My marriage to a man I adored died leaving me in lots of pieces, but friends held the glue pot for me to put myself back together. Time taught me that the fracture of that dream opened the way to others from my childhood: writing books and newspaper articles, living overseas and speaking other languages. Sometimes it is good NOT to get your dreams or to have them for only a short time.

Somewhere I learned along the way that it is not achieving the dream that is important but the way to making the dream a reality.

So I’m thinking of the Ghanaian in Italy, who is probably zooming down the slopes as I write this on the train from Payerne to Geneva. I hope he will be able to ski in the Olympics. Although he has been told he has no chance to win, his dream of being there will fulfill his dream. How good is that?

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