They say it takes ten thousand hours to become an expert. If that is true, then I am an expert in dreaming. I am certain I have clocked up over ten thousand hours of wandering the back streets and alleyways of my mind. If I combine waking dreams and dreams that visit each night, I guess I could claim most of my lived hours have had one foot in a dream world.
I am an expert in far off places, hidden kingdoms and ancient memories. I have learned to build defences, scale city walls and fight battles with demons through my dreams. I have learned to create beauty through turning my dreams into words that flow, like poetry, from my soul.
So, if I can claim the title of expert in dreaming, what does this mean for the world? And what does this mean for me?
There is responsibility inherent with any form of expertise. I think it means I must continue to keep my dreams alive. Feed them with good books and poetry. Spend time allowing my mind to roam freely, before pulling the threads of magic that I find and weaving them into stories and poems to share with other dreamers. Dreamers who know what it is to wander and wonder, just like me.
I love this. What a great area of expertise to have. Dreaming and daydreaming are so important to our lives, and to the world also I think. And free indeed.
The elegant, poetic beauty of your self-reflection moves me. I read it as an ode to writer’s block with an allowance to the writer to be patient and gentle with herself. Lovely.