Kia mau ki tō moemoeā

My granddaughter, Neisha, changed my world when she came into it. Like no other. We were soul mates from the moment we looked at each other. It took some doing though. She opened me up, and made me smile again, challenged me to open right up, no boundaries, no shame, just an endless supply of joy – you can't put fences around that. She would break them down if you did.

She started gymnastics when she was three or four years old, through her day care. Somehow it just kept on going and I was taking her when she was 5, she loved it so much. I signed her up and away we went on this wild journey. It was crazy. I took great delight in going to gym with her week after week to watch her perform.

As she moved up into different classes that required more skill, than fun, it got a bit more focused and serious, and she did it. We started going on competitions, and travelling, make a night of it at a motel and restaurant, having fun – creating lots of memories. We would hit the road and off we went. This is what we did for the next few years.

And then she dreamed a dream! “I want to get a medal, nan”.

She used to get upset every time at prizegiving’s that she didn't get a medal. She cried one time and said, “I'm not getting a medal, I give up.” I said to her, “If you give up, then you don’t really want one.” “I do, nan. But, I never get one”. I said to her, “Little girl, dreams don’t come easy. They take time. They take hard work and perseverance. Your dreams will test you and ask you how much you want it. You keep going. If this is what you love and want, then you make that dream happen. But remember, it takes time, determined effort and perseverance. And when the time is right, it will surely happen”.

“But, I want it now nan.” I said, “You're not getting it now, and the more you want it NOW, the longer it will take”. “Okay, nan”, she replied.

Six years later.

All the travelling, all the competitions, all of the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the could-have-been-better attitudes, having gone through three major surgeries, sickness and missing gym, just life…

Yes, six years later.

Recently, we had a big comps day for my girl. I grabbed her for the weekend so we could prep and get ready for the day. The night before comps, she was having a wee meltdown. I sat on her bed and we talked. We processed stuff and cleared the air. She shared her heart with me. When we finished, I said to her, “Now, all I want you to do is have a big sleep and focus on being amazing tomorrow. Tomorrow is your day.”

“It is nan, and I want my medals, now”.

Notice she said, medalS, as in plural, as if she was getting more than one!!

The day came, she did amazing. I felt tears welling up inside me, watching her, sitting next to her mum and her brother. She made us proud.

And guess what?

She won two medals, for 2nd and 3rd place.

“I've waited years for these nan, years!!!” “Yes, you did, my girl, and you worked hard for them.” We took photos, we were beyond happy for her. She kissed, and hugged, and smooched me. She even came first in staying in a headstand position for the longest out of all of the gymnasts on the floor. WOW!

She went home with mum. She messaged me later, on her bed with her device, and said, “Nan, I am having the time of my life!”. Wow, that was the impetus for me to go on my own way to our beautiful Virginia Lake, to power walk. I got there and just cried. It meant more to me than I even realized. Here’s the thing.

After all those years of blood, sweat, and tears – the good, the bad, and the beautiful – the surgeries, the ups and downs, everything that goes with life – I felt like I did something right by my girl. I felt like I too could be congratulated for coming this far with her, with assisting her in her journey to realise her dream. Everything else in those past six years just paled in comparison, when I watched her perform and collect her medals.

Team effort. Team Amazing. Dream Team.

Dreams are for anyone and everyone who wants them. They do come true. Hold fast to them. They take time. If you want it, you go get it. Don’t sit and wait for it to happen – MAKE IT HAPPEN.

I am living my dream in my amazing transcription business, and I live my dream assisting my granddaughter to realize hers.

Kia mau ki tō moemoeā!

We want things now, instantly, I don’t want to wait, I've got to have it now. Why do I have to wait so long? It's not even a thing that you wait for and then you can have it, as if it's just going to sit in a pile somewhere and wait for you to catch up and pick it up. Chances are, you won't even recognise it by the time you get there!

I used to think dreams were only for special people, for a select few – couldn’t possibly come my way. Well, I was wrong, and I am living proof of that.

Dreams come in many forms, shapes, sizes, person, and are not dependent on a set time or place. It's how we live our lives. It’s the choices we make.

Sometimes, we have the good fortune of assisting someone else in realising their dreams. When we do that, I believe we attract everything we desire for our own lives – nothing holding back, comes in like a flood.

Dreams don’t come easy. You don’t just have a dream and expect it to realize instantly. Usually, when we do that it's because we’re impatient and we don’t want to do what's required of us to get to the dream part. Otherwise known as human nature!