The Dream Makers are people who have in some way (perhaps a small way, perhaps they didn't even know it) lifted you up, elevated you high enough to see the woods from the trees, supported you so you can keep going, believed in you when it looked like there was no hope, made you laugh when you felt down, encouraged you and patted you on the back to remind you of the small successes.
Here are some of my Dream Makers that came immediately to mind. Make your own list and keep it somewhere to remind you that there really are people willing to believe in you, who trust you or who want to see you smile.
These are in no particular order apart from the order in which they came to my mind when I scribbled them down last night!
1) Mrs Mould my teacher - She taught me Design Technology when I was at school and it was a subject I loved. I loved designing and planning so much that I wanted to take it at GCSE level. Unfortunately at the small school I attended at the time they just didn't offer it as a subject for GCSE, there weren't enough resources or people who wanted to do it. My parents and I talked about me changing schools so that I could do it but in the end it wasn't necessary because Mrs Mould came up with a solution. She would offer the GCSE to me and teach me, even if I was her only pupil. She took time out of her own free time to do this, I went to her house to learn, her husband taught me some of the woodworking skills I would need, she created the curriculum I would follow, everything. In the end it was me and a friend of mine who both took the course, we got individual tuition in the first year and by the second year more people had joined us and more people got to study something they loved. Mrs Mould took a chance, she used her own time to do it in, she persuaded the school to let her set up a whole new GCSE course and I got to stay at the school I loved and take a subject I loved. I will never forget how she was willing to help me follow my dreams. I still love designing and planning...and I still think that teachers can be some of the most amazing Dream Makers on the planet.
2) My friend Catherine - There was a time, a very hard time a number of years ago now, when I was really struggling. I had no money, no car, I was supporting my son on my own and I needed to turn my situation around FAST. One day my friend (who at the time I didn't even know that well and hadn't known for long) asked if I could meet her with her children for a day out at a local farm. She paid for us all to go in and sat me on a bench whilst the children played. She told me that she wanted to help me and that she knew that if she had asked I would say 'no' (she was right), so she had done it anyway and she wasn't asking, she was telling. She produced an envelope and a card from her bag and asked me to read the card. Inside it said only the words 'Let's dance the dance of life together'. In the envelope was £1200 of cash. She told me to buy a car with the money and get myself back on the road and to give myself the chance to make things better. She told me it was a gift, I never had to return it. I had no words. I left that money in a box for well over a month not even daring to look at it. I felt so guilty that I needed help, that it had come to a situation where people felt they needed to rescue me. Then one day I realised that perhaps it was insulting that I had ignored the money, that she had given something of herself that day that she was proud to give and that I would be being hurtful to return the money. I went out and bought a car. I took better car of that car than any other car I have ever owned. I loved it, it symbolised so much for me. I love her too, today she is one of my closest friends. She doesn't want the money back although I mention it all the time, she says if I want to pay it back it must be when I have fulfilled my dreams. I'm on track, she's given me the impetus, the faith and the trust - so now it will happen.
3) My Accountant - When I first met my accountant he had just started out. He was working from home running a small practice with a few clients. I found his details and liked the fact that he was a similar age to me and would know exactly what it was like to start out. He gave me a huge amount of support from the get go and always charged less than he should have done. When I asked him why he just shrugged his shoulders and said 'because I believe that one day you will make it big, I'm investing in you'. He had no reason to think this, I was only just starting out, but his belief (and continued belief) makes me keep trying and keep going.
4) My Dad - My Dad feels like he missed out on some of his own dreams, he didn't follow them or didn't feel he could pursue them. So he is determined to be a Dream Maker for me and my brother. He has always told me to go for my dreams (however far fetched) and he has never laughed at my ambitions or told me I was being unrealistic (there are plenty of other people to do that after all!). He shares all my posts on here, he bought my book and told everyone about it without adding 'but I have to say that' at the end when praising me. When I was acting (another big passion of mine) he took me to auditions and once when I was getting through round after round of auditions he waited in the car for about 5 hours (it may have been more). He has never (openly) despaired of my journey through different ideas and different routes to get there, he has just said 'go for it'.
5) My Son - Yes all children love their parents and for a time when they are young think they can do anything, don't underestimate their power to give you wings however. My son always asks me 'when are you going to do your big business idea Mummy', as though it was just a given that one day I would come up with some amazing idea and that would be it for us, we would be made. That simplicity of faithful expectation that something absolutely would happen is very sustaining and inspiring. Listen to your kids, they know you better than you think and they believe in you more than anything, their faith in you is strong - believe in them too.
6) My Old Boss - The Headteacher that I once worked for took a chance on me. I knew that to get back on my feet I would need a qualification behind me that would always be with me and I wanted it in an area that I felt passionate about. I am completely passionate about education, about helping children to become the best that they can be and teaching was something I knew I would enjoy. So I found out about a route into teaching that would allow me to train and earn money at the same time by being employed in a school for the duration. I stood by the school gates after dropping my son off one day, knowing that I would have to find a school that would be prepared to train me and pay part of my salary. I started chatting to the Headteacher and asked the question I had been dreading 'would you think about training me?' Her answer was simple 'yes, we'd love to, get the paperwork to me and I'll sign it'. Just like that! She trained me up (I was so happy at the chance that I worked really hard and ended up with an 'Outstanding' judgement at the end which helped the school too) and then gave me a job afterwards. She knows the reasons why I am now pursuing a different route and supports me in that too!
7) My Old Neighbour - When I first moved to a new house with just my son and I in the deep Dorset countryside it was a lot to take on and I never got around to being able to cut my grass because I was always really busy and I didn't have a decent lawn mower. One day I came home and saw that he had cut all my grass and trimmed all the hedges too. I went round with a bottle of wine to thank him, he just said he was happy to help, he could see I was busy and it was no problem to cut my grass too. He brought me eggs from his hens, beans from his veggie patch, got rid of wasps nests and checked for mice in my loft. He and his lovely wife just generally looked out for my son and I and although nowadays I have a gardener and have moved to a totally different area of the country I still think of them as angels who came to help me.
8) The Homeless Guy - I was in London once when I was younger and feeling pretty glum, I can't remember why. I was wondering around feeling like life was against me when I saw a man sat by the side of the road with a sign asking for money because he had no home. There was me ruminating about some trivial matter that I can't even remember now and here was a man with no home, on the streets begging for money. What stays with me most though is not the fact that he was homeless but that he smiled at me with the most infectious, happy and wonderful smile and said 'cheer up'. I gave him some money but he gave me much more, he took time to make someone else feel better when his own situation was far from ideal - I will never forget him, his smile, or the lesson he taught me that day.
9) The boy I hardly knew - When my parents divorced I felt pretty rubbish. I was not settling in well to the new school I had just moved to and my parents were constantly fighting at home, it didn't feel like there was anywhere safe to go. During a free period I was unable to settle to any work and must have looked like I couldn't concentrate. A boy called Kieren Potts was in the room too and asked me if I was ok. I told him I was (I didn't really know him after all) and carried on, but he knew different. He said 'no you are not, lets go for a walk'. We went out into the school grounds and he asked if I wanted to talk, I told him everything I was feeling as we walked along and he listened. We walked until the end of the free period and he just let me get everything off my chest. When we needed to go back he said that anytime I needed to talk I could come and find him. School ended not long after this and I lost touch with him but when Friend Reunited first came out I looked for him and found he was on there. I sent him a letter thanking him for that day, knowing that he would have no idea what it meant to me. Some people just know that you need to talk and they are happy to listen, even if they don't really know you from Adam.
10) You. You are taking a chance on me by reading this blog. You take a chance on many people, you trust them, listen to them, cheer them on and make them feel worthwhile in a million ways that you don't even know about. I hope through this blog to give whatever is useful of myself to help other people and to get them to engage with each other on here so that we can all share our experiences and make each other greater as a result.
The people I have listed on here are amazing, they have been ready to help, ready to support and I will always and have always done my best by them in return - that's what its all about to be human and to do more with our lives, helping one another 'in the dance of life' so we can all enjoy it more.
Who are your Dream Makers? Who are you grateful for in your life? Who has helped you along the way? What human moments have touched you and helped you remember how precious life is?
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