Regina's Dream

It was a Leo Sayer song she was listening to. The lyrics mirrored the way she felt. She felt depressed. And why not? It was her fortieth birthday. Forty years just slipped right by like a thief in the night.

Sure, she had a lot to be thankful for: a wonderful husband, three beautiful children...well...maybe not always wonderful or beautiful, but she loved them dearly and felt their love in return.

She was born on Christmas Eve and her parents christened her "Regina." Now, forty years later, she was middle-aged. Her dream of writing the Great American Novel seemed less plausible now. When she was young, she had her whole life ahead of her, and all her wildest dreams seemed possible.

♫Those were the days my friend...We thought they'd never end...♫ she sang wistfully to herself. The rain in her heart created streams of mascara down her cheeks.

Tomorrow was Christmas day. The relatives were coming. She had worked so hard getting everything ready: the tree, the gifts, the horderves, the Christmas dinner...yada..yada.. She was exhausted.

She sat at her computer wanting to write something--anything. She sipped her tea but it didn't help--she had writer's block. Her mind was spinning in a hurricane of distractions and concerns and worries. How could she write anything knowing that her family was having financial difficulties and might have to file bankruptcy?

How could she enjoy her passion knowing that her dad was having heart trouble. Would he even live another year? These thoughts plagued her and sapped her energy like a black hole.

She finally gave up, switched off the computer, and turned in. She fell into a deep alpha state within seconds after her head hit the pillow. The realities of her day were tossed into the trunk of her subconscious and locked away for the duration of her sleep.

In the crystal blue sky of her dream, she saw an angel...no...a seagull...Johnathan Livingston Seagull. She read about him when she was a little girl. "Regina!" he called down to her as he circled overhead, "I used to scratch and claw in the mud like all the other seagulls. I do what I must do to survive, but the rest of the time I do what I love--I fly."

"But I love to write," moaned Regina. "I can't seem to write; I have writer's block." A magic flying carpet appeared and landed at her feet. She read about it also when she was just a small child.

"Sit on the carpet and hold on tight. I am going to take you on journey that will change your life," Johnathan bellowed. She sat on the carpet and held on for dear life as the carpet whisked her into the stratosphere along side Johnathan.

Side by side they flew together, making circles in the air, nosedives to earth at incredible speeds, then pulling up just in the nick of time. "Regina! When you wake up, write about this experience!"

"I don't know if I can. I have so many things to worry about."

"Write about the things you worry about. Write about it all."

"I have so little time to write these days. Where can I find the time?"

"If you don't have time to write a novel, write a short story. If you don't have time for that, write a paragraph. If no time for that, write a sentence...a word...let yourself go and be free! Follow your heart, Regina, and you will find your wings. Time and all your worries will seem meaningless like they do now."

"Well, I suppose I could jot down what's on my mind instead of just brooding over it."

"That's the spirit! TIME TO ROCK AND ROLL!" Rock music echoed through the skies as they both did nosedives and loops in tandem.

♫Free bird spread your wings...You can fly...You can change...♫

The rock music turned out to be her clock radio. When she awoke, it was raining outside, but the sun was out and the sky was blue in her heart. She couldn't wait to get to her computer!