“I dreamed a dream in time gone by, When hope was high and life worth living….” are the beginning lyrics of a song sung by Fantine in Les Miserables, after she is left alone, unemployed and destitute. She had her hair cut and two teeth pulled out for money to take care of her daughter. During I Dreamed A Dream, Fantine thinks back to happier days and wonders about all that has gone wrong in her life.
Many people in today’s society are alone, unemployed and without funds to support themselves. Last night, I happened to catch a really interesting television programme, The Foodbank: Britain’s Hidden Hunger. Was this planned viewing? Erm, no…. but it was fascinating. Some very sad stories where people were trying really hard to get back on track and some cases where people just were not able to help themselves to improve and gain control of their lives. The programme featured The Trussell Trust whose foodbanks provide a minimum of three days emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis in the UK. It certainly made me think….
I dreamed a dream, once upon a time. When I was a child, I vaguely remember dreaming of being a police officer and this changed in my teenage years to dreaming of being a forensic scientist. I have always had a strong sense of right and wrong and in fact, two partners in legal firms have told me that I missed my calling as a solicitor – perhaps a bit late now, I think! Keeping a dream alive is important, even if the dream changes as the years pass by. I never dreamed of being a (more than) full-time genealogist, intestate specialist, blah blah blah…. this job would never have been considered a possible career plan when I was at school!
And then one day, when I had a full-time job educating the young people of the future, I dreamed a different dream. I dreamed that I could be my own boss, manage my own team and make a difference in the world. Some people may say that I was doing that as a teacher and I was recently told that I am greatly missed in the classroom at my old school. That’s lovely to hear but, you know what….? I hope that I have left the girls I taught with a few gems of knowledge and a clear message for life: Follow your dreams. However impossible they may appear to be…. Be determined, persevere and don’t give up until you have achieved your goals.
