July 16, 2023
Between 5:00 AM and getting up is my most productive time when it comes to ‘dreams’ and such. A few days ago, I didn’t ‘get up’ until nearly 9:00, and was rewarded with a very quick but meaningful encounter with myself as a sixteen-year-old. I was walking along and suddenly, there I was, as I was, in 1958. All 120 pounds of me, with a crew-cut. A total surprise to both of us. It lasted only for a few seconds, but what an experience. Not only face to face. But even more, mind to mind. Mind in mind.
True to form, we both simultaneously exclaimed, ‘Holy Shit!’ That’s all we said. The rest was mental. A Vulcan mind-meld without the touch. My younger self was both amazed at what I had done (he would do?) and what I had not done. (Who could live up to the hopes of the teen-years?) I was equally amazed at how filled my younger mind was of dreams, concerns, anxieties and joys. So much came flooding back to me. How lucky I was to be raised as I was! So many ‘thanks’ to express.
What did I learn from those weird few seconds? We are who we are. Age changes some things, but not as much as we think. Or maybe I’ve just not had enough trauma in my life to have been forced to change the course of my life. Without a doubt, things were just as important to my teen-self as now. Time focuses and prioritizes us but probably doesn’t alter our inner self. I don’t know. It was only a visit of a few seconds.
Are all of our memories buried somewhere in our grey matter, just waiting to be recovered? It’s an amazing possibility. This re-acquainting was great, but I’m not sure I want to risk another. I’ll just savor it for what it was, another weird experience, one to share and ponder over.
Have any of you had something similar happen? If nothing else, it’s another good reason for sleeping in, once in a while.
Anthony, still dreaming.
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20Sharen English, Roxanne M Guttin and 18 others
