Dancing with Gumby

I woke one recent morning from a dream of dancing. The beat of the music was captivating, the dance floor full, the light softly glowing. The band was on a step-up stage not very far in front of me. As I looked across at my dance partner, I saw a rubbery and smooth movement from almost prone on the floor to full standing in front of me. My partner was also kind of green. I started to giggle as I realized that I was dancing with Gumby.

My giggling probably woke me up. Really? Dancing with Gumby? What does that mean? I felt happy ~ there was a bubbling sensation that remained even after the giggles stopped.

My daughter played with Gumby and Pokey at one of our favorite breakfast places when she was a toddler. I knew, and still know, very little about the characters. So I was surprised to find Gumby could dance so well and was my dance partner.

As I was curious about this fun dream, I decided to re-enter it at a later time. My goal was to find the meaning..... or one meaning. Sometimes there are many. When I did the re-entry, I discovered that more of those on the dance floor were either characters of some sort or in costume. I couldn't make out the specifics of the costumes so I did not find out what other characters may have been there. What I eventually noticed was that I was also 'in costume' ~ I wore a tulle skirt that floated around me like my own miniature cloud. Underneath the skirt, I wore light blue leggings or tights. I also wore a woven jacket of some sort.

After observing all of this, my mind asked my dream self why I was dressed as I was.
Dream Self: Because it's comfy. Besides the skirt floats when I dance.
Mind: Why are we here?
Dream Self: We were invited, silly! Don't you remember?
Mind: No. Tell me more.
Dream Self: Things are changing. There is a great celebration happening. It's time to dance. It's time to be with others who are like us.
Mind: Who are these others?
Dream Self: Others with gifts. Others expressing their creative, deeper selves. Others practicing being heroic by being seen. We're here to support each other.
Mind: That sounds good. Is it just one time? or can we return here?
Dream Self: We can return here whenever we need or want to. It's the place where we remember our creativity. That's why it's important.
Then my Dream Self danced away from me. I knew our conversation was done. For the moment.

I like that I was dancing with Gumby. I enjoyed hearing that one meaning of the dream was that it was a safe place to practice creativity, to allow room for the less staid side of me to flow. I hope to return there again in the future!

Have you had dreams with characters in them? from TV shows or movies or books? How did you feel in the dream? How did you feel when you woke up? Have you ever attempted to re-enter a dream? What did you find out? What would be your interpretation of the character/s in your dream/s?

Achieving a Smile

My latest Teabag Tarot.... and I'm giggling about it. Really? A smile is an achievement? Well, sometimes it is.

Sometimes happenings take me by surprise: a friend's hospitalization, a new pet at a relative's house, a pink slip in my pay envelope. Most surprises bring with them a sense of "oh, no!" which can translate into anything from fear to grief to shock. Even when the news is good ~ an engagement, an upcoming graduation, a raise ~ my first reaction is rarely a smile. To smile, to show happiness, at those moments is an accomplishment all in and of itself.

It's also difficult at times to get those corners of my mouth to turn up. When I am focused on work, I can feel my lips purse with intention. When I am doing housework or riding my bike or writing this blog, often my thoughts are flying faster than my fingers and I am not necessarily smiling either. Smiling at those moments, although happier times, also happens with reminders.

My giggling at this particular Teabag Tarot shows the strange paradox of the seriousness as well as the lightheartedness of its message. I look forward to practicing and rewarding myself with a smile as often as I can.

Do you ever feel the difficulty of smiling? How do you remind yourself to smile more often? When was the last time you caught yourself smiling and wondered why? What was the most difficult time for you to smile?