“We all have dreams that exist outside ourselves, we see them in the stars at night, they inspire us to keep reaching.” Ashley Brown
Dreams are not just when we are asleep but very much an essential part of our consciousness.
It’s a year today that we began our lockdown in the UK. For months, we lived with each other within the walls of our home – and the outside world looked like a “still life”. Aside from walking around our neighbourhood, we were house bound – abandoning all those plans Mum had made. But we continued to dream of the time when we can travel again.
We dreamt of the places we were going to visit. We dreamt about meeting up with the people we love. We dreamt of the next Doodle Meet. How amazing it would be.
What kept us going was dreaming of what can be, will be and believing in them.
May’s comment: Inspired by a blog post we had read – Dear Dreamer, Ashley Brown shared –
What is that existence beyond ourselves? What is it about the stars and moon, reading our horoscopes or googling mercury retrograde, that even just for a moment, pulls us away from the mundane?
That dreams are part of what motivate us to keep moving forward, to find our purpose, connect, learn and grow. How we dream is wildly different for all of us. Some change in a heartbeat. Some take a surprising detour. Some mature with a profound new insight about ourselves. Dreams are fluid, for however they manifest, the gifts are wrapped up in the journey. The small wins, the lessons. The coincidences that propel us towards our destination.
There have been constant reports on how detrimental the last year had been to so many, at so many different levels.
In a positive way, the lockdown gave me a breather. It stopped me (and many others) in my tracks and took inventory of what I have and to be grateful for. I enjoyed being at home as the days floated by, one blending into the next. It was liberating to not have plans. There were no places to go and no one I needed to see – almost a relief. The essential walks with the dogs and their body clock for feeding, gave us some form of schedule.
I stayed upbeat and productive. I had lists of things to accomplish around the home, and projects that dragged on was finally given proper attention.
But outside our four walls, the world seemed to be in a free fall. Countries were reacting to a pandemic without clear direction. There was social unrest ranging from Black Lives Matter, White Supremacy and now Stop Asian Hate. When millions have died, it seemed incomprehensible that there were those flouting conspiracy theories. People were getting restless, emotions were running high – they needed to release all the pent-up energies with rallies and riots during lockdown. All these further fuelled by the media’s blame game.
I found myself in a dark space, couldn’t shake it off, mentally affected by the ongoings. It was difficult to picture any future of joy and normality. “Don’t own these problems” said Michelle Obama in an interview, we have to let them go and look forward to the light at the end of the tunnel.
For awhile, I forgot to dream, to keep hopes up, to believe there’s a future to look forward to, to have goals, to have hope. I hope you will hold onto your dreams as we all travel forward to the end of this dark tunnel.
What do you dream about? What keeps you going?
Let your dreams be your wings!
P.S. Ashley was my writing coach who championed me throughout Lockdown to finish my book.
