Exploring Ever After

I hear the car door slam and immediately look at the clock. It always happens anywhere between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m., and it is most definitely my favorite time of every day. My parents come home from wherever it is they go for all those hours at a time. Dad usually gets home first and we play in a goofy way unique only to us (that he would of course prefer no one know about). He is followed shortly thereafter by my mom, who I shower with love and kisses immediately upon her walking in the door. Joy is encompassed in moments like this.

I have plenty of time to prepare for our weeknights together on the weekdays, when I spend the majority of my time in a dead-to-the-world napping state. That is when I do my best thinking. I know I’m not alone in this, as my pal Putney in the United Kingdom recently demonstrated the skilled occupation of a mid-day nap. I can’t speak for Putney, but (in addition to being incredibly relaxing) my mid-day musings offer me a host of exciting adventures to reflect upon in my waking hours.

In my dreams, I am a fearless explorer destined for life of happiness I share with my loved ones. My joy is contagious with everyone I meet, and all is well in the world.

In my nightmares, I encounter dragons and demons who breath fires of negativity at me. I see images of my past that find clever ways to get in the way of my future. I am reminded of why I cower away from leather belts….it makes me shudder to even think about.

And somewhere in between the dreams and nightmares real life happens.

“Today, if you feel frightened or unsure about the future, pick up the double-edged sword of Light and Love,” Sarah Ban Breathnach advises in Simple Abundance. “Always remember, it’s simply not an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons. But as in the best old tales, at the end of your exploring, you will live happily ever after.”

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the presence of my adoptive parents brings my dreams to life or puts my nightmares to rest. It is almost like my day of napping never even happened. That is, until we wake up and do it all over again the next day.