Sleep, Perchance to Dream

As soon as you shut your eyes, your mind takes over the rest of the way. Sometimes you’ll see red, literally, which is just blood vessels and not anger, but that really is where that saying comes from. Involuntary muscle contractions, when you fall deeper, and when you finally let go, slumber will overtake you. Sometimes you have no choice, other times you do, and such a strong personality as yourself, you have to let go. It’s all right to let go, because I promise that I won’t let anyone hurt you. It’s just going to be you and your dreams, but it’s not going to be bad dreams tonight, it’s going to be good ones, because you deserve the best, and you will get it. Don’t think about the problems of today or tomorrow, think about what you want to be, what makes you happiest.

Maybe it will be the beach, which is one of your loves. The rolling blue-green waters with the sun invading, casts a bright glow upon the crest of the waves out there. Do you see it? The churning waters all the way to the pounding surf on the beach and that beautiful white froth that hits the sand and sends bubbles up. Is that a clam hole over there? The warm sand that you can run your fingers through, then dig a little deeper to the wet coolness below that. The water can come up and greet you as you dig, and it might be good to make a sand castle that will belong to you in the end. Then you can let down the drawbridge and greet the new day refreshed and ready to face anything.

Or maybe you’ll take a walk down the 800 block of Fifth Ave. in New York City and go past Central Park, which is one of the city’s beauties all its own. It never would have been there unless for the forethought of someone, but it’s good that it is, because you can get away from the hustle and bustle whenever you so choose. The neon lights, Broadway, Radio City Music Hall, it’s all there for the taking, all at once if you choose, because it’s your dream, and nobody else can invade unless you want them there. Walk those uneven sidewalks by the park and you can just imagine those tree roots under there, just spiraling all about, like the winding sewers that are even below that. Look for the vendors selling hot dogs and pretzels, smell the aromas that you are used to, that you know and are comfortable with, and remember that in the morning.

How about the horse farm with the smells and tastes of the country? The work is hard, but honest, and it gives you a feeling of freedom for the amount of time that you’re there. That is a life that is so different from the city and so appealing, in a way, as it gets you away from everything else for a while. The grass is so green, and the wet hay has that aroma that you only find on a farm. The horses whinny to you as you walk past, and you can smile to yourself for the recognition is there, and it’s just for you. You can walk down that country lane and smell fresh strawberry pie cooling on the window sill of a neighbor. Then later some bluebirds will follow along with you as you stop by the side of the road to admire an interesting rock. Look, there’s a little purple flower next to it.

Then the field of wildflowers greets you in yet another world. The sky is bright blue, and the clouds slowly and lazily drift by. Breathe in, deeply, and you’ll even smell the sky, the grass, and the flowers, all intermingling with a wonderful and delicious sense all yours, because that’s just it: it is yours. Lie in the field, and let the warm sun caress you as only she can, and she will hold you, love you, and keep you warm and safe.

Perhaps a king or queen in a castle walking what seems like miles and miles past beautiful tapestries upon the walls. Passing the tall, thin windows, the sun casts enough light upon the stone floor to see your path well enough to know that it will be a cloudless day. This castle must be the largest fortress that there is in the area. It sounds like there could be some sort of skirmish in the vicinity, but one just cannot seem to get anywhere. The odd thing is, that there is nothing but stone and wall hangings. Will this hallway ever end?

Maybe you’ll take a walk in the flower gardens of Longwood Gardens in Longwood, PA. The birds are there flitting between trees, the squirrels are running about on the lawns, seeking sustenance and just frolicking. The fountain is asleep until tonight, when it will dance to the music and the lights will be in time to the beat, as well. The breeze blows gently and the flowers sway with it, letting the wondrous and beauteous aromas waft to all in the vicinity. Times are carefree, slow, and quiet, all in your little world, and you can have it just how you like it.

You could go to the lake and see the birds perched on cattails, calling to each other as they ask new questions and make comments that only they understand. Little ones are running and playing by the pavilion where hot dogs and hamburgers are being cooked by the adults. The smell of what is on the grill flows across the lake and might even attract the minions that are there tending flowers and mowing the lawn that goes for miles, even beyond the crest of the hill. The clouds move slowly and freely in their upper world, and you can go there and beyond to meet them where it is less restrictive.

Then there are the caves and caverns, so cool in the broiling heat of the summer, when it is so hot that you can see the heat swirling above every object in your path. The cool air just blasts forth in inviting relief, beckoning you to come to see the treasures that are hidden within, where the hot sun cannot invade. As you go deeper within the realm of the cavity, your mind can wander and you can see the ancient peoples where they drew objects upon the walls, lived their lives, and cared for their young. They will guide you through what was once their home and show you the secrets of the past. There are stalactites and stalagmites and you will feel how the water makes it even cooler.

Or you could float in space above the earth, tumbling slowly head over heels, in weightlessness. It is easy to move in slow motion, to swim without water in yet another world. This is a true sense of freedom where time stands still, and you are guided by the light of the stars. There are galaxies beyond galaxies, where nothingness is king, yet everything is held in the palm of the hand of darkness. For the most part, there will be complete silence, so watch out for dust and asteroids floating along with you. They are making their way across the same belt that you are: space traffic flowing slowly via invisible roads.

Go to many places and see lots of things, even those that don’t make sense. When you first awaken you might remember it all, where some adventures will make sense. Some of it might not, but that is the beauty and power of the mind at rest. You can even solve problems during this time, for this is the avenue where certain parts of your mind are awake when other parts are asleep. You will have the capacity to understand what you cannot at any other time.

You might even see neurons and synapses flashing as you have that journey in space. Some of the places that you visit interconnect with others in strange and mysterious ways, where it appears that you have visited for hours, but was only seconds or minutes. Enjoy the places that you go, for you will see some in black and white, some in living color so vivid that you will think that you are really there. Once you may have been, and it is only a recollection of a former event or one that is only happening in your mind. You could have the same thought at different times, several times a week or a year from now. Each time it could be different, or perhaps, exactly the same.

So, sleep, Princess, and only good things will happen, as your mind will take you wherever you want to go. You will be at peace for this short while, and you will have lots of things to look at, to feel, and you will go where you choose and when you choose.