February 14, 2024. It is a valentine's day, and what could be more appropriate than to wake up from a dream full of hopes, dreams, past loves and passions.
First dream scene - Overseas: I dreamt that I was placed overseas again. I found my RAV 4 Toyota with my Floridian plate facing a busy baseball field. It is loud, very loud with young kids running around all over. My car has been shipped yet again to a foreign land. It is somewhere in Asia as I stepped out of my beautiful and roomy minimalist apartment into a scenery of palm trees. My husband and I were in the American compound. This compound was full of different sized homes for different families. It even had a a changing/locker area. We were welcomed by local Americans who was giving us a brief saying that white chocolates and treats are in the reception area. I talked with another fella who was standing by my car and said you are more than just a drive over to the other side of the compound as there are other American single homes there. Wow, my husband and I decide to drive, and walk to check it out.
Truth: Yes, when you go overseas you are taken care of, in more ways than one. You are in a foreign land and the first thing you want to do is get your bearings. Nothing can be more daunting than to be lost and alone.
Second dream scene - My husband takes me to a Mango museum and he told me to get down and greet the local. She gave me a mango and I proceed to eat it. My fingers are sticky so I look around for a bathroom and already there are other tourists lined up to wash their hands down the hall at a washroom. I see the tour has begun. A group is walking over there but I don't want to join my group. I see my husband in one group and proceeded to join him. But did we do the tour? No, because dreams don't make sense. I find myself waking up with the box of unopened mangoes and a receipt of the tour and I asked my husband, are we going back to the tour? Meanwhile, my daughter is somewhere there, doing another activity with a friend. We decided to "return the tour." In my mind, this is Asia and returning things is not a way of life.
Truth: There is a lot to see and do overseas. You don't know if you'll get the same things as you do in American and sometimes you long for the conveniences and things you are used to. You can't take your life back. It is done.
Third and final dream scene - I mentioned earlier about passions. This one was a show rehearsal for an important BBQ event. I had one acting scene and I must remember it. We tried different takes and I finally found one that the director agreed with. It's the next day and I am LATE! I felt mortified being less than prepared but you know what, I did what I did, and showed up at my spot, and I delivered my lines. The other actor reacted. I showed my daughter, and told the other actors that "I am pursuing this acting passion in attempt to increase my confidence. But I didn't have to tell you that." My daughter was there helping me choose the costume on delivery day. Although I missed portions of it, I did arrive and did deliver. I felt redeemed.
Truth: Just the night before, I was in a Toastmaster's meeting and without prior knowledge or preparation, I delivered a speech only seconds under a minute for this exercise called, "Table Topics" which focuses on impromptu speaking. It forced me to be spontaneous and think quick. I guess I wanted to inspire my daughter by hoping she would see that she was naturally good at this. What a connection - to want more for her, as the line in "The Joy Club" says, "This feather brings with it, good intentions."
