When I was a boy and later in my life as well, I collected postage stamps. I spent too many hours to count in devotion to my hobby. This was in the days before electronic toys and games (indeed, before anyone knew the word electronic). It provided me with many rewarding experiences. I examined each stamp from all of the different countries and learned not only the geography and history but also the culture, important people, and the flora and fauna indigenous to each place. I would take my magnifying glass and inspect each one. Most of the time, I would listen to music while I did my stamps, and to this day, certain old songs remind me of the experience. I would dream in the small room that I shared with my sister (who got me started with my philatelic interest) about someday visiting those special places. I thought “if I make something of myself, I can get there.” As an adult, I have tried to realize my dreams by visiting places like: the African jungle, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Prado, Tower of London and the Crown Jewels, the beaches of French Polynesia, Bali, Hawaii and Bermuda, Western Wall in Jerusalem, Great Wall of China, Imperial Palace in Beijing (although it was called Peking at that time or was it Peiping?), bullfights in Madrid, Rock of Gibraltar, riding a camel in the Sahara Desert, Masai tribesmen and women, Victoria Falls and Niagara Falls. High on my list was going down the Amazon River into the Amazon Rain Forest and due to an unusual set of circumstances I will get the opportunity, this month, to do so.
A close cousin of mine who grew up in California, moved to England, then to Israel and then to New York contacted a matchmaker (think Fiddler On The Roof) who found a woman who grew up in Rio De Janeiro and moved to New York. The romantic saga will end (or should I say begin?) with a wedding in Rio this month. So, we are going and using the opportunity to take a trip down the Amazon and also see Iguassu Falls, the largest waterfall in the world. That will complete the big 3 falls for me, having seen Niagara (#3) and Victoria (#2).
So, dreams come true, albeit decades later. The thing is, without dreams, our desires are stillborn. Time and tough times, cannot tarnish our dreams. Keep dreaming. Let the adventure begin!
Written by Attorney Irving Hymson, ih@hgplaw.com
