I had a dream that the Obamas came to visit. They were gracious about the imperfections in our home, and waited while I washed a load of towels for them to freshen up. Then we went off to a wedding where Barak led the prayer.
That kind of night vision leaves me disoriented when I wake up. It took a moment to tease out what was real.
But this week I did have a back and forth with someone else who has name recognition. Yancey Strickler is the co founder of Kickstarter and has empowered a parade of dreams to come true. I signed up for a series of zooms he is leading and when the break out groups of three formed, mine was short. The other woman and I introduced ourselves. Then his face popped in.
Really? To talk to us? Cool!
He asked what my dream is. I described an event I used to create, a conference for supporting marriages, and how I aspire to some iteration of doing that again.
"Who is the archetype that uplifts you?" he invited me to dig in.
"My Uncle Frank, who is literally on his death bed. He showed me what it looks like to put energy into your relationship. He did that for hundreds of people." My throat tightened.
"What would Frank say to you about your goal?"
I breathed.
"That investing in your marriage does not need to be complicated or large scale. It just has to be intentional. Part of your routine."
I recalled his wry smile.
"And it should be fun."
A friend recently told me that the dream side of her marriage is more real than the mundane interactions. Daily annoyances like having no clean towels expire quickly when we wake up to the essence of this person we are journeying with. We can be gracious enough to dance past the flaws.
But those who have charity hardly notice the evil in another person, but instead notice all the goods and truths that are theirs; and on his or her evils and falsities they place a good interpretation. Of such a nature are all angels, it being something they have from the Lord, who bends everything evil into good.
-Arcana Coelestia 1079
