Recently, a friend and I caught up over an email and discussed the ups and downs of life. I told her about a dream I’d recently had, one that seemed particularly relevant when seen against the framework of my life over the past few years. I would like to share it with you now, in the hope that perhaps it will also help others through times of difficult transition or loss. I hope she will not mind me repeating it as I told her.
“I had the most interesting dream the other night. I often dream about not being in control of things. I wake up in panic. In this dream, I had to scale a vertical wall that had to be one hundred feet up. There were bricks and hooks to grip on, and others were doing it, but I was terrified. Once you got to the top, you had to let go and allow yourself to fall straight down.
I’m petrified of heights. In dreams where I fall, fear makes me wake up before I land. In this dream, I relented and started to climb the wall. Suddenly, it was as if I was being lifted straight up. Getting to the top was effortless. Once I got there though, I was afraid to let myself fall. I had to take several breaths to compose myself. I suddenly felt very peaceful, and rather than letting myself fall straight down, I allowed myself to fall backwards. As if I was on a breeze, I sailed onto the ground. When I landed, I was overcome with emotion. I’d allowed myself to be vulnerable and somehow it worked out.
I know the dream was inspired by a talk I had earlier that day with a family member. We spoke about having faith in yourself and trusting fate, that usually, things work out as they were meant to.
It’s a hard thing to live by, but when you look back at rough times, you often see that kind of pattern. We can’t judge our lives by the valleys we go though. Eventually, it all evens out and we realize we’ve survived.”
Sometimes, you do much more than survive. You overcome, and you see the world around you with fresh eyes and an open heart.
I wish that same gift for you this Christmas!
ROADBLOCKS, DETOURS and ROUNDABOUTS 