Every human has hopes and dreams, one needs to know what he or she wants for his or her life. Living a life without a dream is just a waste of time and sometimes the end doesn't speak well. Hopes and dreams can be dashed when the circumstances of life knock one down, the beautiful dream you are waiting to turn into a reality might not come to pass when unforeseen circumstances strike. This is why it is always advisable to live a worthy life that won't be filled with regrets.
My dream is to become a medical doctor because of the passion I have for humanity but due to circumstances I couldn't achieve that, I never let that weigh me down as I continued in my journey in life. When that dream of mine got shattered I felt all hope was lost but due to guidance I was able to pick my pieces and forge ahead and that makes me who I am today. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to get back on their feet after falling off the desired dream just like a friend of mine who couldn't make her dreams a reality because of the death of her mother.
Sometimes in life, our hopes and dreams need continuity, that is someone who can help us push it to the successful stage we desire but what happens if we lose such people on the way to success? Tiwa came from a polygamous family, a family where her father has three wives and her mother happens to be the second wife. She should have enjoyed right? That was what I thought too but the reverse was the case.
According to her, I quote "My father doesn't care whether we are educated or not, he only cares about my step brother who is the third wife's son because he is the only male child". When she told me this, I understood where the problem came from. The first wife gave birth to four female children while Tiwa's mother also gave birth to three females, I guess their father wasn't comfortable with this and that's why he married the third wife because he needed a male child.
Tiwa was dejected the day she narrated her ordeal to me, it was so pathetic. "When my mother gave birth to my younger sister, that is my immediate younger sister, my father was furious and called my mother several names but he was calmed by my uncle who is his elder brother to give my mother another chance," she said. Tiwa is the first child of her mother, and at that point, I was infuriated," "Why must one be discriminating between a male and a female child" I asked myself. "I never believed there are people who still prefer a male child over a female child" I replied.
She sighed with tears rolling down her cheeks, I guess I awakened the sad memories. "My mother was my comforter, anytime I wanted to lose hope, she was always there to lift my spirit and made me see reasons why I shouldn't give up" she continued. "I have always wanted to be a lawyer, that had been my dream since childhood but the dream got shattered the day I lost my mom to the cold hands of death," she said as she began to cry profusely.
I patted her back and consoled her till she was calm again then I asked, "Was your mom sick?" "Yes, she had breast cancer". That was her reply which shook me off my balance as I became mute myself. I quickly imagined the trauma she must have gone through during those times when her mom was sick which she didn't let anyone know about. At the time her mother died, we were preparing for our senior school certificate mock exam. All she told us then was her mother was sick and she gave up the ghost.
No one knew the nature of her sickness not until recently when we met again and I was asking her about her dream of becoming a lawyer. After a long silence, I finally gathered my courage back and pacified her not to let that ruin her plans for a better future. "The plans are ruined already because, after the mock and my waec (senior school certificate examination), I couldn't further my education because there was no one to sponsor me". I felt a pinch in my heart as I imagined how difficult life must have been for her.
"My father didn't care about our well-being or my sibling's education. I had to go live with my grandma while my other siblings went to live with my aunt", she further explained. The only word I could mutter was "hmmm". "And since then I have been working to feed myself and support my sibling's educations as they still have a long way to go", she concluded. I looked at her and hugged her then I whispered into her ear, "You are a brave girl". She smiled at me and I can say at that time that I felt relieved to see her smile.
Her dream got shattered because she had no one to help her with it, this is why it is important to appreciate every good gifts we've received in life be it family or friends.
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