Of cynics and dreamers ....

I believe we all are dreamers - atleast we started as dreamers when we were young.

It didn't matter if those dreams were big or small, original or inspired, I believe we all had them. We cherished them. 

Then Life happened...
"Somewhere between broken pencils and erased dreams, we grew up."

And along the way, some of us got really hurt. Our shattered dreams left behind scars. How badly they were broken decided how deep the wounds were or how long they remained raw. For some, the trauma shook their faith and left them rattled and gasping. And too scared to dream again..... 

As I look around, I see many tortured souls. And it saddens me. 

True, no one can understand their sorrows, their pains. True, it's easy to talk about letting go when you haven't been down their roads. Yet, it saddens me to see cynicism grow.

Yes, I am a dreamer. Eternal. Compulsive. Delusional even, for some! 

But I have hurt too, scarred, was left gasping, with my faith wobbling, my hopes dwindling... I have had my dry run. When dreaming seemed a distant luxury, I had no time for. When steadying the ship and hiding my disappointment were the only realities I could afford to deal with. 

But Time heals a lot; as for the rest, I think one is gradually faced by a choice.

You can continue to hold on to the remnants of those shattered dreams because they were far too precious to let go, because the pain or the disappointment was way too much to come to terms with. So everything thereafter comes in shades of grey. 

Or...

You feel the ache; you internalize it. You take your time to realize how much of what happened was your doing and how much was beyond your sphere of influence. And after a point, you learn to look beyond - with different prisms at times, but not dark ones. You garner the courage to take a huge risk - to learn to dream again, even if this has to be done carefully, with baby steps. And gradually the hues get brighter and sharper. 

Obviously my choice was the latter. I know no other way of living. However, I also accept it's difficult, very difficult for some. 

But is it totally impossible, I ask? 

Does the safety of monochromes curb the inherent attraction we all have for life's natural hues?
Does the fear of falling again and hurting even more completely block the inherent quench for life's little pleasures that we all feel?
Is letting go really that difficult or do we sometimes hold on to pain like an armor, to shield the scarred us? 
Is the cynic to an extent, masochistic? 

I don't know the answers; I am perhaps too simplistic in my thinking - maybe, naive, even. But I want the cynics to crossover to my side. A side where there may be more risks, but there surely is more Life, more Laughter and more Love.

I firmly believe we can all learn to dream again - different dreams, maybe, but dream for sure.

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." 

- Harriet Tubman