Sunday, July 15, 2012

Check Your Sources

I'm at my alma mater with three strong, capable women. One is an attorney with a fierce intellect. Another is a fiery marketing professional and my colleague. The third is an earthy recruiter for the accounting field who spends much of her time telecommuting from the wilds of Alaska. My role is more fluid, and I'm not yet sure what it is.


In the middle of a conversation with some other folks, an alarm goes off. It gets progressively louder, sending us racing into the large adjacent room to see what gives. No fire, no unwanted guests, no water main breaks. The alarm continues to sound, so we decide it's best for all involved to leave the premises until someone arrives to turn it off or otherwise determine the source of the problem.


Only we can't leave. We're locked in. Even the building's two maintenance men can't help. 


To escape the noise of the alarm, my friends and I climb a staircase to the second floor. I bring up the rear.


We congregate in a large room with high ceilings and beautiful architectural flourishes, including floor to ceiling arched windows that overlook the campus. Oddly - and conveniently - enough, there are four single beds lined up side by side in front of the windows. I glance at the clock - it's around 1:40 a.m. I worry about the hour and, deciding it's too late to call my husband, sit cross-legged on one of the beds to send a text that I will not be home tonight.


As I begin to type, my phone becomes putty in my hands. It expands, contracts, twists back and forth like a piece of licorice. A disturbing text comes across the screen, sending my stomach into knots. It is misspelled, rendering it open to multiple interpretations. I question if it's truly meant for me and if it is, what it could portend. I think, "I've been hacked!", but of course, this does not explain the shape-shifting phone in my hand. 


What is going on here?!


Since this is a dream, there could be multiple explanations, but my sense is that it goes something like this: 


I am in an institution of higher learning, so I know to look for a lesson or two. The alarm disrupts our environment, which creates some confusion and anxiety, but also mobilizes us into action: Stop what you've been doing and move to higher ground.  


Leading the way are three women I respect and admire for very different reasons, and who bring distinct skills and wisdom to this situation; I can hold their examples out in front of me and learn from them. 


There is a role for each of us to play, as evidenced by the four beds, but we will need to align our energies effectively and collaborate if we are to be successful. 


Though I worry that it's so late and that my evening is not going at all as I had planned, it appears that the decision has been made for me: for the time being, I must stay where I am. Opportunity is close at hand, as suggested by the large arched windows. In the daylight, we'll have a higher and broader perspective on our environment and options. And the new day is not so far away.


My shape-shifting phone seems to tell me to look inward for answers to the questions I have carried with me to this place. Messages from external sources may get twisted or misinterpreted. 


For now, it is enough to lay my head on the pillow, just inches from the window through which dreams may travel to provide clarity, if I am meant to receive it at this time, from a source that can always be trusted to give me the straight scoop. 



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