To sleep, perchance to dream? As the Bard once penned, "Aye, there's the rub, for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause." And how long will that pause be? I've had plenty of dreams while amongst the living which give me pause, without concerning myself over dreams I might have after I climb that six foot ladder, get put to bed with a shovel, and take my long awaited dirt nap. With as little as I have on my plate I still wake up screaming at times from a weird dream. Half the time I can't remember what the dream was, and the half I do remember make me glad I can't remember the other half. Oh, and don't you just hate it when you wake up relieved it was just a dream, then wake up screaming when you realize waking up the first time was just a continuation of the original dream? That's when it's time to get up, make a strong pot of coffee, lock the bourbon away, and vow not to eat cold pizza at midnight.
Dreams can last from a few seconds to thirty minutes, or more. How many of us have experienced a dream only to wake up and fall back into it, and wake up again just to find only minutes have passed since we woke up the first time? Yet, in those minutes, the continued story seems to have spanned hours? Our creative minds have the ability to compress time. Yeah, my mind is capable of compressing time, yet college level math scares the crap out of me. Sixty-three years old and I haven't taken the one class which would net me a degree, not that I ever needed it.
I've accomplished most everything I've wanted to in life, save for a couple of dreams left hanging, for the future, as circumstances beyond my control overcame those desires. The best and easiest of dreams can fall prey to reality, and sometimes reality really sucks even if it's for the best. These are the times between the ticks of the clock when I look up to God and say, "Really?" I shake my head, smile, and continue down my path knowing all the while I am a part of some perverse Rube Goldberg plan God has for me. It is yet more proof that God is a woman, as only a woman would have so much humor at my expense.
I have had the privilege of living more than one life in this life. I live what I consider reality and then I go to sleep and enjoy a multitude of other lives, some of which have been phenomenal. Realizing you are living another life vicariously through your dreams is an "ah ha!" moment. It is the moment you become truly cognizant of the reality which exists between the ticks of the clock.
We've all seen the deck of blank playing cards with a drawing on each card which, when all 52 cards are flipped through, create a few seconds of moving drawing, like a cartoon would be drawn. You can take each of the cards out and examine it, out it back and take another. Image the time between seconds as the deck of cards, and each card is made up of another deck of cards and so on. We are so caught up in the frames of the movie zipping by at a speed which prevents us from seeing each frame that we forget life is made up of trillions of frames, and we also forget we have the ability to examine a frame at our leisure, or even to change the script while we sleep.
In seconds and minutes I have learned to jump progressively higher, as if gravity were lessened, and used the talent as we had a game of chase through an alien world. I have fired a weapon utilizing paintballs for ammo before there were paintball guns, but we were firing them as we hunted criminals. As a boy I have handed ladles of water from a bucket on the back of a buckboard bouncing over a desert trail as pony soldiers came alongside for a drink, and woke with the smell and taste of horse sweat and trail dust in my nose and mouth, reliving a past life in the time between ticks.
To sleep, perchance to dream? Oh, most definitely, yes! With the continued wish, however, it is not "in that sleep of death" such dreams might come. I have no desire to, once again, shuffle off this mortal coil. I will give pause as much as possible. I will smell the roses and tell the occasional woman she is attractive, and their chubby selves will look at me and think I jest simply because I looked passed their weight and into the soul they try unsuccessfully to hide. They blinked as I took the time to see who and what they're potential was yearning to become.
Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint.
Dreams can last from a few seconds to thirty minutes, or more. How many of us have experienced a dream only to wake up and fall back into it, and wake up again just to find only minutes have passed since we woke up the first time? Yet, in those minutes, the continued story seems to have spanned hours? Our creative minds have the ability to compress time. Yeah, my mind is capable of compressing time, yet college level math scares the crap out of me. Sixty-three years old and I haven't taken the one class which would net me a degree, not that I ever needed it.
I've accomplished most everything I've wanted to in life, save for a couple of dreams left hanging, for the future, as circumstances beyond my control overcame those desires. The best and easiest of dreams can fall prey to reality, and sometimes reality really sucks even if it's for the best. These are the times between the ticks of the clock when I look up to God and say, "Really?" I shake my head, smile, and continue down my path knowing all the while I am a part of some perverse Rube Goldberg plan God has for me. It is yet more proof that God is a woman, as only a woman would have so much humor at my expense.
I have had the privilege of living more than one life in this life. I live what I consider reality and then I go to sleep and enjoy a multitude of other lives, some of which have been phenomenal. Realizing you are living another life vicariously through your dreams is an "ah ha!" moment. It is the moment you become truly cognizant of the reality which exists between the ticks of the clock.
We've all seen the deck of blank playing cards with a drawing on each card which, when all 52 cards are flipped through, create a few seconds of moving drawing, like a cartoon would be drawn. You can take each of the cards out and examine it, out it back and take another. Image the time between seconds as the deck of cards, and each card is made up of another deck of cards and so on. We are so caught up in the frames of the movie zipping by at a speed which prevents us from seeing each frame that we forget life is made up of trillions of frames, and we also forget we have the ability to examine a frame at our leisure, or even to change the script while we sleep.
In seconds and minutes I have learned to jump progressively higher, as if gravity were lessened, and used the talent as we had a game of chase through an alien world. I have fired a weapon utilizing paintballs for ammo before there were paintball guns, but we were firing them as we hunted criminals. As a boy I have handed ladles of water from a bucket on the back of a buckboard bouncing over a desert trail as pony soldiers came alongside for a drink, and woke with the smell and taste of horse sweat and trail dust in my nose and mouth, reliving a past life in the time between ticks.
To sleep, perchance to dream? Oh, most definitely, yes! With the continued wish, however, it is not "in that sleep of death" such dreams might come. I have no desire to, once again, shuffle off this mortal coil. I will give pause as much as possible. I will smell the roses and tell the occasional woman she is attractive, and their chubby selves will look at me and think I jest simply because I looked passed their weight and into the soul they try unsuccessfully to hide. They blinked as I took the time to see who and what they're potential was yearning to become.
Editor's Note
(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)
Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint.
It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.
We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.
Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to the intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, blog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain at a regional medical center.
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