The Lessons of a Dream

Wow! What a dream I had this morning. I could feel the texture of the coat I was wearing, the breeze on my face. People's eyes could be read. Interesting selection of people to join me for such a lucid dream, too.

Three, no four, major players in the dream.

One person, who has a habit of "not showing up" was in the dream and, surprise, did not show up!

Person-two, I found her stuffed bunny, gave it back to her. We chatted and danced while we waited for person-one to not show up. She left on the school bus and took her bunny with her, both seemed very happy to be reunited!

Person-three, was headed to the laundromat, but eyes told me that maybe later.....

Person-four - What are you doing in my dreams? I've never seen you here before; welcome! You look good at the head of the table! Your leadership skills are becoming very impressive!

I was wearing my pretty royal blue coat with the fur collar that I lost 45 years ago. All this time I thought it was stolen but I just left it in the land of dreams. What other items might be waiting there for me to rediscover?  It would be nice if my skate key is there. I don't have the skates anymore but I sure liked that skate key. It would look good on a 30" silver chain surrounded with Kyanite and Iolite beads.

The restaurant where I was having lunch with friends was built with thick redwood beams  and boards. Windows wrapped around three sides of the dining room. I could smell the vegetables roasted in rosemary and the ravioli (I'm pretty sure I brought the ravioli with me from watching Master Chef Canada last night. I could taste it too and all I have to say is "YUM"!)

I do hope my subconscious noted the location of the restaurant; the ambiance was remarkable and the black currant balsamic vinaigrette was literally out-of-this-world! I'm going to start sleeping with a  mason jar just in case I go back.

If I die in my sleep, know that some uptight dream-realm official wouldn't let me transfer dimensions with a mason jar full of salad dressing and I chose to stay with that divine nectar of the gods!

I found a folding laundry basket, returned it to person-two, returned to the curb to wait!  I looked down the street and knew that person-one was always going to not-show-up. I unbuttoned my coat, put my hands in my pockets and started walking in the direction of home. I made the choice not to wait but to show up for myself.

The walk felt good, the pace was brisk, even in an elegant pair of heels! I was smiling. The air brushed my face as I walked and as I woke, I could still feel the breeze on my skin and I was still smiling.

Now, if you'll excuse me. My teapot is whistling and I have fresh ginger to peel and chop. The crew is waiting for me by the pool. We are going to repair the net on the pool sweep and draw straws to see who is going to sweep up the mess of crushed sand dollars in the entry, family room and living room floors.

I learned two lessons in the last 24 hours. I can show up for myself and bored dogs have a taste for sea shells.

"Another Saturday Night....."

"Another Saturday night and I ain't got nobody I've got some money 'cause I just got paid Now, how I wish I had someone to talk to I'm in an awful way"

Okay, maybe this isn't 100 percent true but that tune has been cycling through my mind over and over and actually both versions of it...Sam Cooke and Cat Stevens? 

If I had to have one of these versions stuck in my head for eternity, which one would I choose?....Okay, gotta be Sam Cooke cuz heeeeee sends me, I know that heeeeee sends me......

So, which version do you prefer?

Let's play a game. Do you remember the following songs and who recorded them? Who do your think did the best job?

A Groovy Kind of Love? Diane and Annita(who?) or Phil Collins, hands down Phil Collins, who else could make those lyrics sound so cool and sophisticated. Patti LaBelle and Sonny and Cher also recorded it, though not memorably (is that a word?)

You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling? Righteous Brothers, Elvis Presley, Hall and Oates, Kenny Rogers (I know, he doesn't rate the list but he did record it) and don't forget The Boom Boom Band.

Dionne Warwick recorded it too. Close race between Righteous Brothers and Elvis but I've got to go with the Righteous Brothers...got goose bumps just thinking about it.

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da? The Beatles, Herb Alpert or Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops? I know, No contest. And I don't even like the Beatles!

You Send Me? Back to my dream partner Sam Cooke. Who would be so foolish to try and follow up the best slow-hold-me-tight-honey-and sneak-a-kiss song in the entire galaxy? The Supremes, nice try girls, Steve Miller Band, Richie Havens, Percy Sledge, Michael Bolton, uh, no, and Rod Stewart, which was nice but not Sam, and didn't Chaka Kahn sing it too? Sam where are you?

Crazy? Now Patsy Cline wins this one hands down and Norah Jones comes in a close second but the list of people who didn't record it would be shorter than the list of everyone who did.

Patsy Cline gets my vote for Walkin' After Midnight too.

Am I Blue? Great song, best when alone with a half pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia, flannel jammies, box of tissue and big fluffy pillows. Okay, everyone at the same time....Ethel Waters! But it was also recorded by Fats Domino, Charlie Rich, Linda Ronstadt (was that pre or post Jerry Brown) Bette Midler and when I was a little girl, Gloria Lynne.

Have I lost all you readers under 40 years of age?  Do you even know any of the songs above? 

Try this for a battle of the ages!

Michael Buble or Frank Sinatra? Come Fly With Me

Queen, Diana Krall or Michael Buble? Crazy Thing Called Love

Michael Buble or Paul Anka? Put Your Head On My Shoulder! Paul Anka, because I remember my head on Mike Gardner's shoulder when I was 16 and it felt good...he never could understand why I broke up with him...it might have had something to do with the fact that he wanted to be a priest when he grew up!!!!

Let's Fall In Love? Now tell me that song isn't great no matter who is singing it? Diana Krall, Tony Bennett and, uh, what's his name, oh yeah, Rod Stewart. Its delicious anytime.

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) Phil Collins, he's the man, Scott Savol, I love his voice; and, eventually, Mariah Carey...get a job, honey!

Cruisin' Now this is a contest and I love Smokey Robinson but I gotta tell ya Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis harmonized themselves into my heart, any of my kids readin' this, I want the Duets sound track for Christmas.

Speaking of Huey Lewis, what about Little Bitty Pretty One? Doesn't that song just make you want to put a poodle skirt and jitter-buggin' shoes on and cut a rug! Let me see, Bobby Day and the Satellites, Frankie Avalon, The Dave Clark Five (oh yes they did!!!), the Alley Cats, The Dovells (was over quickly), the Jackson 5, yeah, them too! Actually, the Doobie Brothers recorded it, too. I think they tied with Huey! Just a good song to dance to (or mop a floor).

Love Huey Lewis but Frankie Avalon didn't suck....at least that's what my mommy told me (wink wink knudge knudge)

Riding in a Stolen Car (might just be Stolen Car), Patty Griffin, Bruce Springsteen or the Rocking Chairs (?). Sorry you rockers, gotta go with my girl, Patty.

Break On Thru To The Other Side: Doors or Stone Temple Pilots? Doors, baby!!!

Speaking of the Doors, how could I have forgotten L.A. Woman. Billy Idol, The King, Days of the New. THE DOORS! geez' doesn't anybody have a clue?

Takin' It To The Streets, Doobie Brothers, shame on Take 6 for even trying.

Remember Captain and Tenille and Love Will Keep Us Together. So who do like in this one, Neil Sedaka, The Captain and Tenille, The Tubes or Nickleback or DelBo?

Nickleback also did Saturday Night's Alright. The Who, Elton John, Flotsam and Jetsam or Nickleback. Can't answer that one, haven't heard Nickleback sing it but Elton and The Who are pretty close....alright, Elton, no The Who, no Elton...uh, let me think about it.

Tiny Dancer? Elton or Red Hot Chili Peppers. Elton John and he really did do Saturday Night's Alright the best, yeah, yeah, that's my answer and I'm stickin' to it.

Good Day Sunshine? Lampshade or Beatles..Lampshade, what were you thinkin'?

Monday, Monday? Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs or Mamas and Papas. Who can beat Mama Cass's harmonies?

Well, that was a nice little walk down memory lane and I'm still alone but now I truly feel really old and I'm back to humming: "Another Saturday night and I ain't got nobody I've got some money 'cause I just got paid Now, how I wish I had someone to talk to, I'm in an awful way"

Dragging Beatrice In For A Make Over!

Beatrice marched around the pool this morning, barking at the rest of us about what fools we are.

I have to be honest here. We almost never listen to Beatrice because she is kind of nasty. She yells, she jumps up and down (Richter Scale 4.2) while she rants and raves. She's the one who blasts the car horn when some idiot on their cell phone cuts us off. She's the one steps forward during bad customer service moments and firmly states, "Excuse me, but I believe your humanity batteries up the wrong channel, may I speak to someone with manners!"

We don't experience these outbursts very often; we try to keep her blocked from rising to the surface unless we are alone. Sinthya is the only one who encourages Beatrice to tell it like it is, "Sin tabues, mamacita!"

The crew sat around the pool in a haze of despondent fog as Beatrice went off on us.

"Lower our expectations? Lower our expectations, you can't get any further under a slug, you spineless idiots! Shove those asses of yours into some big-girl panties and start speaking up. You're letting stuff fester and then you blow up at dumb-shit. Look at all of you! You've got dumb-shit all over yourselves!"

Wrinkling her nose and curling her lip, she bellowed at Bill, "Go get us a dead skunk to cover up the stench of this bunch of losers!"

Bill tossed the cigarette he'd been attempting to roll all morning and headed for the gate.

"Where are you going?" Geeze, was that a bark or a bellow?

"To get a dead skunk!"

"Sit down, Bill! Sit!"

Between the insults, the barking and the bellowing, she really did expose some of our "shit" as she calls it.  Slowly, each of us began to witness the truth in what had, at first, seemed to be empty babble.

"Machado! How many times are you going to ask, ever so politely, to be kept in the loop? There is no loop! Get it....NO LOOP!  Go to Walmart and get a hula hoop and loop that!  Make some rules about how you will and will not be treated! Stand your ground! Make your own loop if you want one! "

"Carly-Anne, go create something beautiful! Don't let these whiners stop you from doing what you do best just because they've got their knickers on backwards! Let them take care of themselves!"

"Richardson!  RICHARDSON!....That's right, Mrs. Tension, You, of all people, could have said, "unacceptable" and continued to do your thing, whatever the hell that is, with your uptight suits and spiked pencils? "

Ownership of your faults and short comings is a hard drink to get down. It takes two tablespoons of honey for every teaspoon of acid, but we drank the concoction.  We looked ourselves in the mirror and saw it all....kind of hard not to with Beatrice shoving your nose in it, but, I guess if it works.

After going to our own corners and distilling the "aha's" we came back for a good Coach-Lombardo team meeting. We made some promises and proclamations. We signed some contracts with each other and ourselves. We practiced a couple of  "remedial back-bone" exercises and received a bit of "speak-your-truth" therapy.

Without Beatrice's intervention, we could possibly still be wallowing in CryMeARiverville at the Whiners Bar and Grill.  We owe her.

We're taking her in for a make-over! Yup, we're tossing out the brown pleathor walking shoes and burning the Viking bra. Her little blue dress with the tired pink buttons is history.


Sinthya is demanding that the first items on the list:
1. Eyebrow and upper lip waxing.
2. Toss out the rubber band and bobby pins and give Beatrice's face muscles some relief!
3. Visit to Victoria Secrets

We realize all the icky stuff has been constantly dumped on Beatrice. She's the one who always has to stand the ground; fire at the target; crack the whip; change the tires and check the oil! We've just been along for the ride....she even pushes the car when it's out of gas while we sit inside and bitch about how slow we're going!

Wow! Who knew her hair was so beautiful, down and flowing? BabaMara and Sinthya are teaching her how to french braid. She vetoed make-up and we all agreed, she's beautiful without it.

What do you buy for a skinny woman with DD's, huevos of steel and a lifetime of wisdom?

Dark denim skinny jeans, a kimchi blue tunic top with just the perfect amount of cleavage peeking through the cut lace, sunset-lenses mirrored sun glasses and turquoise Lucchese Kokopelli cowgirl boots just right for kicking butts!

The Realm of Infinite Possibilities

 "Go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb!"

Bill is one of the characters that makes up my personality! His part of me is exceedingly irreverant! Not out of disrespect or disdain. It's just that life, real life, reminds him/me of movies, books, plays or even "real life" events. 

You see, not only am I highly intuitive but I have the gift/curse of being empathic and suffer from PTSD. We use Bill's  quotes to lesson the blows we often feel when in the midst of sharing someone's pain or distress. We use the quotes to distill another's anger or hate. Bill is our safe-guard from being swept away with emotions, our own and not our own, it is often hard to distinguish the difference.

I have a flyer to create today. The flyer is a single side of an 8 x 11 sheet of paper. The aim is to edit a 7 page proposal, not counting the bibliography, down to a single sheet, without losing the message.  We will be offering a class of contemplation, a class designed to help people see the divine in the mundane, to witness the holy in every day events.

The flyer consumed every moment of this morning. Sitting with my feet in the pool, sipping tea, the crew and I discussed what to cut, what to include.  Chopping up the veggies and fruit for our juice, we discussed chopping 'this' paragraph or 'that' sentence.  Even while showering, we saw meaningful sections trailing away, down the drain, anonymous runoff to be lost in some murky water, somewhere.

Group Consensus: Creating the flyer is going to be an unreasonable and impossible task.

Sitting at my desk, I fired up the computer. Opened Word. Opened the original proposal document! Clicked on File drop down menu, then a click on 'New'; 'Blank Document'; 'Create'.

Ta Da! A barren blank white page.

"This is impossible!" I thought. The impossibility of the task echoed in my head, each member of the crew agreed. Each aspect of my personality saw the futility of accomplishing the goal and getting it to Fr. Jonathan by the end of the day.

When the echoes subsided, Bill's voice rang strong and clear.  "Go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb!"

Who knew Bill even knew what Anime was, let alone to quote Kamina!

"Go beyond the impossible...." Instantly we are transported to a small dark room. Sinuous drapes of gossamer silk seperate, revealing a cavernous room of possibilities.  Reason stands guard, hands on hips, legs apart, feet planted solidly in our path.

BabaMara threatens in a rich, loving voice, "Mr. Reason, How would you like to be a  pink centipede with 50 pairs of teensy-weensy roller skates on your teensy-weensy feet?"

Reason swiftly turns and runs to the curb! BabaMara has a real kick to her!

We glide into the realm of  infinite possibilities, a space just beyond the silken curtains of the impossible.

We can do this. This flyer is going to rock. Thank you, Bill, you are our hero!

"Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale!"

Yes, The Last Unicorn is one of Bill's favorites.

"The secret of being a hero lies in knowing the order of things. The swineherd cannot already be wed to the princess when he embarks on his adventures, nor can the boy knock on the witch's door when she is already away on vacation. The wicked uncle cannot be found our and foiled before he does something wicked...."

Okay, Bill, we get it!

"...Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpicked fruit...."

Bill, we need to get to work!

"...unicorns may go unrescued for a very long time, but not forever. The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story."

Bill, heroes fit in jelly jars, too, you know! I love the BabaMara part of me!

Bill nods, "Never run from anything immortal! It attracts their attention!"

Lost and Found for Dreams

I woke up this morning and knew that I had experienced a very important dream last night. It started with a meditation.

In this meditation I imagined a pair of giant doors, incredibly beautiful but so light that I could open them with one finger. As the doors opened a golden light washed over me and washed away all the stress and tension, the tresspasses and tresspassings. It was awesome and I gently slipped into dream time.

Something changed last night and I can almost put my finger on it, almost taste it, almost bring it into focus and then it slips away. Does that ever happen to you?

In just the last month or two some of my dreams and hopes that I have had for the future have been lost or drastically changed.

Have you lost a dream?

Did something happen in your life that made that dream slip into the ether and you haven't been able to recover it? Is it because Father/Mother/God has a better dream for you than you had for yourself?

I want to open a Lost and Found for Dreams.

The shop will be on a hill. As each individual walks up the path to the shop they will see the shop only as they can and need too. For some, it will be a sweet little thatched cottage in the woods, for another it might be a towering castle in the fog, still another might see Grandma's house on 24th and Gilpin and know that Grandma is waiting inside to hold you, give you some homemade bread and talk to you about your dreams.

For everyone the doors will open with a gentle push of one finger and as you walk in a brilliant light of love and forgiveness and acceptance will wash over you. There may be a shelf or two here and there where you can see some old dreams, a little dusty and maybe a little chip here and there but as you glide across the floor a glorious gilded cabinet rises to meet you.

The light is so bright, but smells of new rain and fresh mountain air. The glass doors open slowly and there in the light is the Divine's version of your dream.

What does it look like? How does it feel?

Are you ready to wrap it around you and own it?