Your dreams in times of a crisis

Crippled ( = okaleczeni) by uncertainty, the last thing we tend to think about are our dreams. The stuff which seemed quite commonplace ( = pospolite), such as the next holiday or a book to read, has suddenly become overshadowed ( = przyćmione) by powerful fears: Will I lose my job? Will we be all right? When will this nightmare ( = koszmar) end?

But I dare to say ( = śmiem twierdzić) that NOW is the best time to think about your dreams. If not now – when? Faced with ( = w obliczu) imminent disaster ( = nieuchronnej katastrofy), we have a unique opportunity to examine ( = zbadać) our values, our life so far, and to make strong resolutions ( = podjąć postanowienia) for the future. Because I do believe there will be a future, and we have the power to make it superior to ( = lepsza niż) the past, by resolving to ( = postanawiając) live out ( = zrealizować) our deepest dreams and desires ( = pragnienia).

Now, easy for me to say ( = łatwo mi mówić), because I’ve been incredibly lucky, and I managed to make my dreams come true at the eleventh hour ( = w ostatnim możliwym momencie). I had been dreaming about my trip of a lifetime ( = podróż mojego życia) for a year, and you know what it was if you’ve been following me. Yup, that’s my stay in Spain between 6^th and 9^th of March.

My first stop was Madrid, and the exhibition ( = wystawa) with props ( = rekwizyty) from the Game of Thrones series ( = serial). It was a very moving ( = wzruszające) experience to see the real sword wielded ( = dzierżony) by Ned Stark, or to ogle ( = wlepiać gały w) the real dragon jewellery ( = biżuteria) worn by Daenerys!

My second stop was Seville, and Real Alcazar – the awe-inspiring ( = godny podziwu) castle where Dorne was filmed. Yup, I’m still talking about the Game of Thrones ;). It was breathtaking ( = zapierające dech w piersiach) to walk in the exact places where the actors were walking, to see where the scenes took place, and to feel magically transported to that land of magic and chivalry ( = rycerskość).

And I managed to return to Poland in the nick of time ( = w ostatniej chwili). Only a few days later, the borders ( = granice) were closed, and all flights cancelled. Spain went into lockdown ( = została zamknięta), as the country finally decided to adapt the social distancing policy ( = polityka izolacji społecznej) in order to flatten the curve ( = spłaszczyć krzywą) of the infection rate. I was literally ( = dosłownie) among the last people to see the exhibition and the castle. They are both now closed until further notice ( = do odwołania). I am incredibly grateful ( = wdzięczna).

So yeah, I’ve been lucky as hell ( = jak cholera)! But this experience, of living out my dream, has given me the courage to dream on ( = nadal marzyć), and to plan my life after the pandemic, with my dreams as the driving force behind everything I do. I will go to Northern Ireland, where they filmed the North in the Game of Thrones. And I will go to Dubrovnik, which featured as ( = grał rolę) the series’ King’s Landing.

So don’t let your dreams be thwarted ( = pokrzyżowane) by the pandemic! Let me know what they are – and this way they will seem more real, as more people will know about them! For “the night is dark and full of terrors,” but the morning always comes.