EARTHQUAKES AND SKIS

I was on one of the upper floors in a tall office building when the rumble began. It increased to a roar and I could feel the floor tilt. I was vaguely aware that I should be trying to run outside, but instead groped for the small plastic bottle of water that was rolling around at my feet. There was a fleeting thought that the water would come in handy if I managed to stay alive and got trapped under brick and stone.

Then the shaking stopped. The building was listing dangerously, so I headed for the stairway at a run. I was hurrying past an open door in the corridor when I heard Susie’s voice (the Cuban one). She was talking to someone, and laughing. I stopped and glanced in, calling for her. She and a couple of other girls were standing around a table stacked with clothing. Susie turned with a sweater she had in her hands and held it up. ‘What do you think?” she asked me. “Would it suit me better in green?”

I was flabbergasted! The damned building could collapse any second and they were doing home shopping!!! Suzie was still laughing and pooh-poohing my fears when I woke from that first dream.

The second dream seemed shorter. My body was hurting all over, and I felt as ill as I’ve ever felt in my whole life. I was struggling to get out of bed, and realised how weak I was. My long-time friend, Dawna, was in the bathroom, attired in ski suit and tuque, her skis in hand.

“We’re just going out to do the trail in the back,” she told me cheerfully, as she pulled on her mittens.

I don’t even have the energy to pull on mittens, I was thinking silently. I expressed my thought aloud to her, then added, “I’m preparing to die, and you’re preparing to go skiing.”

“Okay,” she answered. ‘Well, I’ll say goodbye now then, in case you’re not here when I get back.” I’m not sure if she was still there or had already gone when I woke from that dream. There was nothing sad or frightened or angry in what I was feeling. It was just simply a fact; life goes on.

I strongly suspect that the medication is the reason for the colorful events in my sleep. What is weird is that the day after dreaming about the earthquake, one actually happened. The scale was only 5.1, and nothing tilted, but I was slightly uneasy when I remembered my dream. Later, chatting on the phone, Susie laughed when I asked her if she had felt it. “No,” she answered. “I was trying on that green sweater.”

Just the same, I think I’ll call Dawna and make sure her ski suit has been tucked away for the summer. I’m wondering too if there’s any way I could force myself to dream about Brad Pitt....or maybe George Clooney....

Sharing a huge SMILE with y’all!!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec