How To Hold On Tight To Your Dreams
By: Liam Ireland
Tags: Writing, Life, Short Stories And Poems, Humour, Technology

How To Hold On Tight To Your Dreams

Photograph by Ylanite Koppens on Pexels

As we approach the year's end I'm looking back to how far I have travelled during what has been a truly horrendous time for pretty much all of us. And although I am looking forward to the realisation of all my dreams, it doesn't hurt to first take a look back at the not-so-great recent past.

Not to carp on about it too much, especially since things have been a darn sight worse for lots of folk, but I have been to, my very own little hell and back.

Around about the time that Covid kicked off I was taken seriously ill. I have had more hospital tests than I can shake a stick at (an MRI scan, a Pet scan, a CT Angiogram, an endoscopy and colonoscopy, chest x-rays, echographs and sonographs for my bones, veins, joints, internal organs, brain, and enough blood tests to fill a blood bank). And that's not to mention the cataracts I had done just before this all kicked off!

To make matters worse the variety of drugs I was prescribed, which may well have saved my life, have given me so many side effects to deal with, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, water on the knee and both ankles.....I could not have got through it all without the angel that is my lovely wife.

In the end I was diagnosed with the following; sleep apnea, PMR and GCA (Polymialgia and Giant Cell Arthritis) a blocked artery in my heart and another in my neck, a carotid artery, plus moderate emphysema and a slightly reduced function in my kidneys. In addition, it was discovered that sometime in the last two years I had what is called a silent heart attack and a 'TIA', which is a mini stroke. I think you get the picture.

On top of all of this I lost my job as a performing artist and as a teacher of English and Spanish in Spain, got no help from the Spanish government and had to move to Japan. I am very much of the view that had I not managed to move to Japan I would have been dead by now.

The flight was what I can only describe as horrific. I spent 72 hours without sleep in excruciating pain. I barely scraped through Germany and into Japan due to Covid travel restrictions. The Spanish didn't want to let me out of my house let alone Spain, Germany didn't want me to land nor take off after I had landed. The Japanese were understandably cautious about letting me in. Thank the lord I have residency in Japan and in the end they let me return home.

I have to say, the Japanese have been truly amazing. The healthcare is first class and the administration as smooth as you could ever ask for. What's more the Japanese government have extended some much needed financial help. Thank you very much Japan.

I am happy to report that I am now well on the way through recovery, though I do still have to be very careful as I have a long long way to go yet.

Ok, so now for the good stuff. I joined this Illumination platform and it has been an absolute godsend. For one, it has stopped me going insane. Number two, it has allowed me to grow enormously as a writer and as an editor. Number three it has enabled me to earn a much needed financial supplement to our very modest income. More than anything, it gave me the belief that I could make it as a writer. So a massive thank you to Dr Mehmet Yildiz along with all of my very supportive fellow editors, the Amazing Team as I like to call them.

Since joining Illumination I have written and published well over a thousand articles, stories and poems. What's more, I am now in the process of turning a lot of those writings into ebooks. Three are more or less ready to hit the market and at least another four are ready for going to the publisher.

In addition to all of this, I have learnt how to build a website and presently have no less than six sites up and running. None of them have yet been monetised, but that will come in due time. And to cap it all, I have managed to get back some of my teaching online.

I tell you this story in the hope that should you too be going through a tough time, I want you to know that there are ways to get through it. I am not saying it is easy, at times it has been very far from easy. But, if I can do it, with all that I have had to contend with, then so can you. I am nobody special, just a normal regular sort of person who is not yet ready to throw in the towel on life.

All I can tell you is that no matter what life throws at you, try to be optimistic, positive and just dig deep into whatever reserves you have to keep going. Above all, hold on tight to your dreams. You will get there in the end, just like me.

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