Those dream catchers can’t catch ’em all
- Melissa Herrera: Not Waiting for Friday
- May 19, 2024
- 1364
I have several dream catchers that hang around the house. One of them came from Mexico and the other one came from a garage sale. I chuckled to myself when I heard the line “Gotta catch ‘em all” from the Pokémon theme, then reversed it. “Can’t catch ‘em all” should be any dream catcher’s theme.
I always thought they were supposed to capture bad dreams for you, but I found out they also capture good dreams and thoughts and slide them down the dangling feather into your mind.
I had a vivid dream last night that involved going to prom in my 50s, and it was weird enough I wish the dream catcher had done its job. There were faces and places involved I haven’t seen in person since 1987 and the vibe was … off.
Except for the dress.
It was exceptional.
If only life could filter out the dreams we take up that have blinded us to reality. We’re taught to put our nose to the grindstone and make things happen, but half the time we’re meant to lay them down and move on. Fruition awaits in another dream we have.
When I sift through some of my own ideas, the shape of them doesn’t look that much different than when I first conjured them.
What’s a continuing dream you want to fulfill? I’m not talking bucket list because those are different than tangible ideas you want to pursue.
I found myself browsing college courses the other day, wondering if I should take a few and brush up my rough edges. I sometimes kick myself for not pursuing higher education. I can’t change what happened then, but I can build on it now if I choose.
Then some days I think about the small, beautiful life we’ve built, and I’m content. We were arguing/discussing something several weeks ago that I now can’t remember (as is often the case), but I recall my answer in the most vivid way.
“But I like my small life, the tiny things I do each day: the way my grandsons call me grandma, the coffee I make myself each morning. What if it’s never bigger than that and I’m ok with it?” I said.
The dreams we have for ourselves can be as big or small as we want. I don’t think one is bigger than the other. If we feel good pursuing them, you know it’s right. If we drag our feet trying to get it done, it’s wrong. It shouldn’t be any more serious than that.
I planted my new perennial beds full of nearly 40 baby perennials. It was the first time I’d done so without mom’s direction. I set a photo of her holding me when I was 1 as my profile picture. I love this photo and have used it for most years, but for the first time, something struck me in the background.
Mom had a heavy green water pump in the front yard that she used to water some of her flowers by hand. The whoosh of that pump still floods my memories today. And I realized I’m still dragging that pump around today. Right now it’s sitting in my backyard awaiting its placement in our new surroundings. I can’t let it go because to do so would be to let go of her.
Am I dragging old dreams around, or should I lay them down and let them rust into the ground? I’ll continue to live my small, fulfilling life until I figure it out — or the time comes to do it for me.