Tuesday Slice: Missing the ocean

 

The location was perfect for a weekend away.  Lush green woods surrounded the cabin, so thick that I couldn't see anything else through the leaves except partial glimpses of cars on the road below.

The air was hot and muggy, but surprisingly free of flying, biting insects. The temperature dropped as soon as I stepped into the shade from the trees, and breezes cooled the sweat on my skin.

Mornings were lovely for walking a bit.  The steep hills of the outpost gave my calves a good, much needed stretch.  I stopped to take pictures of plants and wildflowers that lined the road, the paths on the hiking trail, the spiderwebs that looked like silk fabric instead of concentric strands.

The air conditioned cabin helped me cool off, but the trees and the breeze beckoned, so I would grab a book and sit outside in the provided Adirondack chair.  My concentration would be broken by a sudden surge of wind through the treetops, a roaring rustle interrupting the birdsong.

The rustling sounded like waves.  That's when I realized...I missed the ocean.  

Spiritual Journey Thursday: Celebrating the small things

Ramona has given us the prompt of

"celebrating the small things" this month.

My gratitude journal seems to be on repeat these days.  Thankful for my morning quiet time and coffee.  Thankful for the roof over my head, food in the pantry and fridge, running water, electricity (especially air conditioning), indoor plumbing, access to the internet, money to pay the bills.

None of that seems celebratory.  Worthy of gratitude, yes, but party themes?  Nope.

I should have been able to celebrate the last day of my work calendar of one of the hardest years of my education career.  I've been working steadily on school-related stuff since then, though...so that firecracker fizzled.

And let's face it--the news, especially here in Texas, has been far, far less than celebratory.

So what's left to celebrate, and by celebrate, I mean acknowledge as good and true and worthy of dancing and letting go a bit?  Or maybe...just being alive and present and grateful is the celebration.  I can dance and let go just because

my body can move to music

I have the privilege of time to dance

I did positively impact my learning community

we did persevere through a really hard school year

(though I think this qualifies as a big thing)

I can take time to rest my mind and body

I can applaud the celebrations of this writing group of friends.

Thanks for the opportunity to pen my rambling thoughts, my fellow travelers.  May there be a skip in our steps today.

Photo courtesy of m01229 on Flickr

Tuesday Slice: Giving birth

 

I very rarely dream, at least that I can remember.  Even more rarely do I dream in color and with physical feeling.  So you can imagine my surprise when I awoke from a birthing dream.  I had slept past my alarm; I'm sure it's because I wanted the dream to continue.

The 'dream scene' opened with me alone in a hospital room, lying on a bed in mild labor.  I could feel and see my belly rippling, rolling, remarking "Are you making your way down, little one?".  I reached my hand down--and felt a head.  Starting to yell for my husband, the labor paused as the head appeared, and then the baby was there.  I wiped off her face, she opened her eyes and cried out a bit, then closed them and rested on my chest.  My husband and the medical personnel showed up, tut-tutted, cleaned her off, and left us to get acquainted.

The scene shifted to our house (not our real one) which was crowded with family (some familiar, some not).  I was carrying the baby around, worried a bit about my milk coming in, wondering if I'd ever deliver the placenta (that part was really strange).  At one point, the nurses from the hospital came by to bring gifts and check on us; at another, I thought I had lost the baby somewhere in the house, only to find her sleeping in a baby seat next to my father, who was dozing in a recliner.

So what does all of this mean?

According to dreams.co.uk,

 

 "The most common meanings behind a dream about giving birth are to do with new beginnings, creativity and prosperity. This dream symbolises that something exciting is coming your way and you’re ready to embark on a new phase of your waking life. The baby in your dream is a sign of a fresh start, a new project or a relationship that‘s about to bloom. It’s all about hope, anticipation, growth and success."

Furthermore, dreaming about having a girl:

"Dreaming about giving birth to a baby girl can symbolise celebrating your feminine qualities and internal beauty. It may also be a sign of financial fortune, luck and good health."

I am in the middle of a library facility upgrade at work.  I am also changing the focus on my library programming, and have applied for a grant to help me accomplish that goal.  Personally, I am in the pondering/ planning stages (again) of what needs to change in my health and financial habits.

Whether or not the dream is predicting the future, it is certainly reflecting the present.  Do you have vivid dreams?  Do you record them, ascribe meaning to them, share them?