Childhood dreams

As children, we all have dreams. Some of us dream of becoming an astronaut and flying to outer space, exploring Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, going for a bike ride along the canals of Amsterdam, seeing a world heritage site such as the Trulli of Alberobello, visiting the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market in Ratchaburi, Thailand or going for a drive along Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula.Meanwhile others dream of going on India’s Golden Triangle tour, seeing the jewels of Europe via Vikings River Cruise, becoming a cricket player and playing in an IPL match, going for a thrilling train ride on the Rocky Mountaineer or doing something adventurous like skydiving or climbing Mount Everest. But not all of our dreams come true as we either get tied up in commitments or life just doesn’t present us with an opportunity to fulfill our childhood dreams.
One thing I have learned in life is that even though not all of our childhood dreams come true, the essence of chasing at least another one of our childhood dreams keeps us moving forward in life regardless of age or ability. A dream gives us a purpose, a vision, a goal to fulfill in life; ek jazba jeene ke liye. A dream gives us the courage needed to spring out of bed on life’s gloomy days as we know that each step we take will bring us closer to fulfilling at least one of our childhood dreams and hence tomorrow will be better. A dream, no matter how big or small, allows us to pursue our potential by challenging ourselves, break the boundaries that the world imposes on us and accomplishing something that we otherwise may not have. A dream allows us to experience different aspects of life, learn lessons that we could pass onto our kin and create memories that we could revisit in our golden years on a midsummer afternoon while sitting in a rocking chair on our front porch and sipping a cup of chai. But most importantly, a dream defines us and makes us who we are.
Fortunately, in some parts of the world, the tourism industry is making travelling more accessible for people with disabilities. For instance, many destinations now days have accessible transportation options which include public transportation, taxi services and shuttle bus services with ramps and lifts. Some hotels even have accessible rooms for the disabled which may be equipped with things like a roll-in shower that has a hand-held shower and grab bars for those with physical limitations, a teletypewriter (TTY) for the telephone, a vibrating alarm clock and a visual or flashing fire alarm for the deaf and Braille signage for the visually impaired. (The ibis hotels chain which has hotels in multiple countries usually has reduced mobility rooms for guests with disabilities at its various locations.) Certain attractions also offer various types of accommodations for persons with disabilities. For example, Disneyland allows people with disabilities to experience the same magic as the physically abled by offering services such as wheelchair and Electric Conveyance Vehicle (ECV) rentals, guidebooks and stationary maps in Braille, sign language interpretation and video captioning for the deaf.
For those of you who got tied up in other commitments or life just didn’t give you an opportunity to pursue your childhood dreams, do go and break the limitations that surround you and explore the endless possibilities that lie before you by chasing at least one of your childhood dreams kyon ki zindagi na milegi dobara!