I just refused to this morning. What, you might ask? Simple. Read the news, catch up on developments of yesterday and overnight, of weeks of thinking and new revelations. I decided that today was going to be different. Today was a day for dreams, for good , rather than for the stench of the living nightmare we find ourselves mired in, up to and even over, our heads. So today, dreams. For we must continue to dream. Without dreams we lose our way, lose our direction, our incentive to go on, to live in a better and sweeter world. So today, dreams. And as you read of mine, think of yours. Dream, for one day, one day......
Ask anyone of my acquaintance of more than three minutes and you will know of my favorite dream, my most favorite place in the whole world - Hawaii. We have been there numerous times, yet it is not enough. I know that it, too, must have its issues, homelessness. the expense of living there, the usual bits and pieces of daily living, but I go there to refresh. The air kisses the cheek. The people are friendly, helpful, even the people on the streets, not only those in the hotel. There is no honking of horns, for even in their awful traffic jams, all sit patiently, living the "hang loose" philosophy. The piece de resistance: no matter which island you choose, there are numerous vistas that stun the eye and heal the soul, one around every corner. For more, just watch the sun as it sinks into the Pacific at sunset or check out the almost permanent rainbows, the symbol of good things, of promise and hope.
And as we keep on searching, hoping to find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow's arc, so too do we keep hold of our dreams. So onto more, the stuff of hope, of laughter and light. The miserable pandemic has introduced new things in our lives and mixed with old favorites.
Loving to walk through flea markets, the bigger, the better, we have found ourselves immersed in the hundreds of hours of old Flea Market Flip. We have watched and admired the ingenuity of refurbishers, of the gems and treasures that are found in the huge flea markets featured on the show. So, to the point - after it is okay to travel and we find ourselves in a somewhat more normal world, we are going to Brimfield! We are going to Elephant's Trunk. We are going to find all the old wood till my soul is sated and my creativity challenged. All I need is the courage to forge ahead in my new avocation of woodworking and dare to attempt my own refurbishing and recycling.
This week - the first step. Find an unpainted, or old piece of small whatever, perhaps a step stool, and redo it. No harm, no foul. Only the fulfillment of a dream I never knew I had until the virus came a visiting! Lesson learned - while life goes on, dream, think of better things and times and do what one can to improve the situation and now I am veering into forbidden territory of the day, for one and all know the first step I would take to fix this challenged world of ours. Begone, monster, back into your own cage. Off to dreams again.
I dream of returning once again to a homeland of destiny and ancient promises, where I am always welcome, where to be a Jew is not to worry about daily anti Semitism, but to live a life in one's own state, just like the rest of the world. I love America - at least what used to be America - but back, Evil One, not today. Even as I love it, I know through every bone in my body, every bit of my soul, that there could come a time when once again we are chased out of home and hearth, and yes, here, in the USA. So, a dream of mine -to have another home there, a place of refuge , a place where history finds a resting place in my heart. Not to mention the wonderful relatives we have there and of course, visiting our grandkids who are studying there in gap year programs. Now all we need is for the virus to abate, and for EL Al to resume flights. Dreams.
On to an ongoing, long term dream that has finally come to fruition, better than I could have hoped for. My entire life I saw the sadness that lay beneath my Bubbie's life. Even after she died, I remembered it and vowed to do something about it. But what could I do? Finally, only recently, in the past year or two and more so since March, we have worked on tracing families, on all sides, particularly my Bubbie's. It was chasing ghosts most of the time, for these were people long dead, in natural life spans, and under the murderous hands of the Nazis and their collaborators.
But I was determined. I would find my namesake, my great grandmother, my Bubbie's mother. I would find out at least the end of her family - my family. And the best ever took place. We found twigs of survival. We found a child here who survived. We found a young man who fled into the forests. We found one who had been sent to Siberia, and survived! And I cried, for here was the antidote to her sadness. Here was family, a niece or nephew who made it. Another generation further. The cherry on top - we talked to them, correspond with them, and our hearts have opened wide just as they have absorbed us into theirs.
With the dream of finding family and answers, more have arisen, but we will tackle those as well. We will dream of a reunion of the family, a dream once thought to be impossible. We have learned to forge on, try new paths, and reach out. We have lived dreams long unexpressed and unfulfilled. Now it is different. So reach out and dare to dream. Do not allow the tenor of the times to stifle yours. Dare to go bold, to answer the questions of your life. Try new dreams, develop new ones. But always, dream on.
And sorry, it just cannot be helped - further the possibility of your dreams and all of ours, by VOTING!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment