A heard of wildebeest was thundering over my head. Luckily I had found shelter under an overhanging rock. Looking around, I saw a few small bones, some scratched lines on the wall, and knew I was not the first to escape under this stone. The smell of these animals was surrounding me and I wondered would they ever stop, but I was feeling so tired, I suppose the adrenaline rush of escaping had overwhelmed me. I just needed to sleep.
But this is all wrong, I felt in my slumber. How could I have been in this place, when I live on an island, which has mainly small animals, except for cattle and horses. Then I realise I was not sheltering on some African savannah, but hearing the rain, thundering on the roof. The feeling of the duvet around me, and the soft comfort of my pillow. I am safe, inside, and warm. The imagination is powerful, creating magical stories, from the smallest suggestion.
As I slowly woke, bringing myself back into my real world, I wondered how I could use this dream. I am sure Jung or Freud would have some idea’s about why my fertile brain, nurtured this vivid movie. Was I overwhelmed, with a tidal wave of activity, pushing me to shelter. To hide away until the danger passes? Escaping later, like the previous inhabitants of this small cave? I wondered…
Life is like this, we are just ambling along, doing are own thing, and suddenly something unexpected happens, which upsets everything. At times like this we have choices, choosing sometimes to hide away, or stand up and face the deluge.
Over the last half century I have done both. My feeling is I benefited much more from standing up, even though it is scary. The unknown can be frightening, but it can also be wonderful. By facing up to the noise, we find out quicker, giving more time to enjoy the good, or deal with the bad. The negative has a habit of exploding, the longer it is left unattended. That’s my experience. So I like to deal with it now, however difficult it may be.
The rain cascading down the roof of the house is good at the moment. The springtime rush of growth is upon us and all these plants need the rain, spurning a more luscious environment. The lakes and rivers will fill up again, helping the fish grow. Today, the rain is good. On other days, this same event has caused massive damage, destroying so much.
