I flew in to be here

1. My stream of consciousness

I was watering some flowers in the quiet morning

When two little birds caught my eye on the empty feeders

Looking for what’s left of what is usually full, now eaten

Mostly by squirrels

First I was simply with them, the two little birds

Observing

But then I strayed and wanted to name them, know their kind

Which took me away from the peace in my heart to a busyness in my head

So easy to do, move from quiet witness to figuring out

From heartful presence to busy brain

I stopped, found the bird guide and looked for birds I could name at one time

When I paid attention more often

If they come back, I’ll be able to compare better to the pictures

I planned

But I’m thinking wren

A house wren

They regularly make nests here

In a hanging planter near our front door

Or behind an old gate that hangs on a wall in the back

“Where does that gate lead?”, asked a teenage grandson

Or maybe my son-in-law

It could have been either one teasing me

When we were all here together in July

I don’t know what I answered to those teasers

But now I would say

“That’s where I flew from to be here with you”

Indeed it is

And thinking that, smiling

I was here again in the now

Of watering plants

Being

Noticing a baby lizard climb on the white metal stand that holds our blue swing

In the quiet morning

And here I am in this now

Sharing with you

I flew in to be with you

Indeed I did.

Dale Midgette Smith, August 28, 2022

2. More than ten years ago…for your connecting as you will

A Flying Dream

I had a flying dream a couple of nights ago. I had heard of flying dreams but never had one that I remembered anyway. Then a couple of nights ago I did. I had a flying dream. What a trip! I awakened feeling almost giggly, a feeling that continued throughout the day whenever I recalled the dream.

The details of the dream seem fairly unimportant to me. Some Mildly Evil Pursuers were involved and a place where I was attempting to go in order to do some kind of task. I was rushing through a kind of crowded marketplace, and at some point I noticed I was walking quickly, with no knee problems and no need to slow down. That in itself was a thrill and a surprise. I saw the M.E.P.s behind me but they did not trouble me. They seemed more or less harmless, unnamed people I had known in my life who doubted my ability to get to my goal. As we hurried through the crowds, me just barely ahead, I heard one of them say, “Look, she can fly!” I looked down at my feet and saw that indeed, my feet were not on the ground at all, but several inches above the ground. As soon as I looked, I went even higher. I wouldn’t call this actually flying. Flying would be above the crowds. I wasn’t above them, but navigating through them easily without touching the ground, maybe like a tall skateboarder without the skateboard, but slightly higher and getting higher all the time. As the dream ended, I awakened with the sense that I could go even higher. A sequel to this story would be coming. As I write I am smiling about it again.

Now I am aware, of course, that dreams are interpreted in many different ways. In this case, for me, interpretations seem as unimportant as the details of the dream did. What does seem important and stays with me is simply “I CAN FLY!” My unconscious sense of self is indeed undergoing change, becoming more conscious. The work I have been doing in my life is coming to harvest. I know that truth, no matter how the evidence appears around me. The ceilings of this house may need painting and the floors may need replacing, but where is the importance in those details either when indeed I can fly?

I can fly…

Amen

Dale Midgette Smith, March 2012 from The Rhythm of My Days