Recently, I had a dream that I have had before. I always pay attention to “repeat performances”, as I understand them to be some deeper part of myself trying to communicate an important message. In this dream, I am driving home, and it is raining so intensely that even though I have the windshield wipers on full speed, I can see nothing of the road. It is a familiar route, and so, with nothing but my memory of the way, I continue to drive. Amazingly, I don’t crash into anything, though, that is my fear as I drive.
This time, in this version of the dream, I suddenly woke up in the dream and realized that I had been dreaming! I wasn’t driving at all. I was asleep in the back of a car and someone else was driving. It was a loved one who was driving. Absolutely every ounce of fear that I had had about crashing melted a way. What a relief! I was so grateful.
And then I woke up, and these two impressions came to me immediately.
1. You do largely know the way you are going, and you can navigate it safely by your deep memory of the way.
2. You are not driving alone. You are supported and carried by love and by loved ones.
Immediately, I accepted both as true for my life. Like most dreams, this one did not immediately begin to fade from memory. So, why write about it here?
On some level, I do think that we walk around with a “memory” of the path that we are on. I have some psychological and even metaphysical explanations for that which the reader may or may not accept, so I won’t bother with those here. What I think applies to all people is that there is something about your life and your path that you can trust, that something has always been with you. You know that, on some level.
The dream also invites me to consider how it is that we are being sustained — by love, by loved ones, by the relationships in our lives. I only am able to see some of this by looking backwards, but I can even see some of the “difficult people” in my life, ultimately, as supporting my journey because what they did and how they acted helped to “guide” me to where I am.
As in the dream, when I look back on where I have been and how I got here, gratitude begins to take shape within me.
How about you? What do you already know and what can you trust about your path? Who and what sustains you?
Bob Patrick
I know (logically) that I can trust my own resourcefulness, knowledge and motivation to get me through difficult circumstances, including at present. However, emotionally I struggle with trusting my inner voice. I’m working on being kinder to myself. I am starting to see that I have held my answers within all along, and I can trust myself as a source of strength, as well as my circle of support. What sustains me is my circle- my fellow members/friends at UUCG, as well as friends met along other paths on my journey. Right now I am getting back to prayer/meditation, and I’m finding this sustains me each day better than if I were not practicing this. I most enjoy my early morning walks lately, when the air is still cool and fresh. I listen to the birds as I go. Sustenance for me is very much a spiritual endeavor.
You’ve stated that kind of tenderness and trust for oneself beautifully, Jen. Thank you!
Thank you, Bob. I really enjoy your writings as well. I may not always respond with a reply, but I take time to ponder what you, Christiana and others say in these posts. I print out ones that hit home the strongest, so I can review them as needed. Take care, Jen G.