Friday, February 27, 2009

Perchance to Dream...

If I dream... it's rare for me to remember. But once in a while I'll dream about something strange and bizarre. I suppose by definition all dreams are strange. The dreams I've remembered have a distinct logic to them. They aren't disjointed or disorganized. Within the dream itself, it's always in perfect order.

About six months ago I dreamed that a catastrophic event was going to happen in a city. I didn't recognize the city, but I knew the threat was real and I had a slim chance to avert the disaster. The key was the task I had to complete in a limited time. A series of large buttons were installed at various points across the city. I had to ride a subway from point to point, pushing the buttons in a certain sequence, pushing the last button before the catastrophe was unleashed on the city.

I don't know what the catastrophe was. I only know that I woke up knowing that I wouldn't reach the last button in time.

It was a disturbing dream for me because the logic was real. As I rushed from button to button, riding on the never-ending subway, I was firmly convinced that I was the only hope for the city. And I knew there was no one I could ask for help.

As I look back on it, I think many of us are tied up in our little dream worlds, rushing from point to point, certain that we are the only hope for our cities. Eventually, we reach the final point only to fail. And I wonder if we would have succeeded in saving our cities if only we had reached out for help... if only we had not tried to do everything ourselves. I wonder...

anny

6 comments:

  1. Good point. Perhaps we need to learn to lean on others just a little bit more.

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  2. Your dreams sound a lot more coherent than mine!

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  3. Reaching out and asking for help has never been easy for me. Even in my dreams I rarely ask for help. I think so many of us women see ourselves as the ones who MUST take care of everything and everyone and make sure nothing falls apart. We clearly need to learn to ask for help more often.

    Thanks for stopping by and sharing your words of wisdom for aspiring writers, Anny. I appreciate it and I know they will too! :-D

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  4. I think many of us have a hard time reaching out and asking for help. We have an even harder time accepting help when it's offered.

    Wild dream, Anny.

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  5. Mm. Dreams.
    Can't share mine. Would make your ears burn.

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  6. I dream all the time, and am fortunate to remember a good many of them. They have been such an important part of my life and my writing inspiration. It's a rare thing for me not to incorporate a dream into my work.

    I also interpret them.

    It almost sounds like your dream is trying to tell you that even with prior knowledge sometimes, we can't always avert that which befalls us. We can't control the things that happen, and sometimes we have to "let go, let god," and see how it all falls. We may be able to fare it better because of the gift of foresight, but there are no guarantees we'll hit "that last, saving button" on time.

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