Goodnight Irene, Goodnight Irene...

Day 34


Have you ever awakened from a dream and you weren't sure if you were dreaming still? What I mean is are you awake or still dreaming, it's just different? I've read we all dream even though we don't remember. And we dream about 12 different dreams each time we sleep. I assume this is spread over an eight hour period. A sleep cycle lasts about thirty eight minutes. A cycle is much like a whale swimming in the sea. It starts on the surface and then submerges deep down, and eventually resurfaces to catch a breath and goes back down again. When we come back up we don't awaken but we are close, then we sink back down into a deep sleep. This is when we dream.

So here's the story.

The other night I had a dream. I drove to my friend Irene's apartment to vacuum her carpet. I once owned a cleaning business and this woman was my partner. I'm sure she didn't need me to vacuum her rug, it was just an excuse to visit since I hadn't seen or spoken to her for some time. When I went inside there was a large group of people there. It was a party. Irene's two sisters were there and walked over to greet me. I felt out of place. I thought because I hadn't been invited. Then I saw Irene. She smiled and started to walk my way. She looked so great, so alive. There was laughter in her eyes. She was so beautiful. I hadn't seen her look this good in awhile. She kept moving closer.

I began to wonder why she hadn't invited me. I remembered I hadn't seen Irene in a long while. She stood in front of me, almost touching me. She didn't say a word but kept smiling. I started to wake. My chest tightened up, my throat closed as I choked back a sigh. As I woke felt hurt, I couldn't understand why she hadn't invited me.

I was in that place between awake and asleep. That place where Never-Never Land is suppose to be. That place where all your dreams come true. But my dream wasn't coming true. My heart was breaking. Again.

The fog of sleep lifted and I remembered Irene had passed away over ten years ago. I reasoned that's why she didn't invite me. It just wasn't my time yet. Her sisters were there though they had not spoken either. I haven't heard from anyone in her family for many years now. Something may have happened to them.

Some cultures believe that when we sleep the soul leaves the body and walks through another world. A world just as real as this one. A world somewhere between asleep and awake. A world where anything is possible. Good night Irene. I'll see you in my dreams.

Until tomorrow,

Ken