So yeah... don't go... swimming... in the electrical junction box...

To make a difference in somebody's life...

Adminisk8or

09/04/2023

You know, it's funny, I just spent the last several days out on a vacation with my family- and don't get me wrong, it was a great time! And yet I have almost nothing to talk from it- at least, not here on my blog.

But there are a few other interesting things worth noting this week. Probably the most noteworthy was something I got roped into- and it was all my fault. As we've been looking at houses and trying hopelessly to find something affordable that we could live with for awhile, my wife has been stressed much about finances. As a spin of fate, there was a free local class recently announced that started this past week. I was not much for the idea of attending it- but I suggested it to my wife, as she was wanting to do it- and she convinced me to come along. So I did... and interestingly, week 1 of 12 has turned out to be profound enough already. Our group is quite small- only five of us, including the couple facilitating things. But the things we discussed this week were good beginning steps to managing finances- none of it is about "Oh, well don't spend it here," or "show some restraint there," etc. So far, we've just talked about why we would want to manage our finances, and what could be gained, and stuff like that. I expect it will surprise me with making me realize how much I can learn.

But beginnings of unexpected things aside, I also found myself in an interesting dream this week. In this dream, I had decided to stay at this AirBNB or something in someone's penthouse at the top of this tall building- most of the building being some fancy restaurant. The accommodations were surprisingly a bit tight, but also cozy in a way. Apparently I didn't know the name of my host, and while there, I somehow learned it. But finding my host was oddly difficult, despite the fact he supposedly never left the building, hardly. My first encounter with the man was giving him directions to the bar in the restaurant near the top floor where he lived. But for some reason, I couldn't leave it alone- there was some reason I felt compelled to help him, and I wasn't sure how. I think I would end up seeing him a few times here and there, but never for long visits. The next thing I remember was that I was watching him fly a biplane overhead (apparently a hobby of his) and noticed he was flying it exceptionally low. In fact, he then crashed into a nearby field- one within running distance. And run I did; I ran to the crash and managed to pull him out of the wreckage. Somehow, he came out almost totally unharmed.

Back at his place, I then learned something interesting about his past- he apparently, in his younger days, had served on board a ship- whether it was naval or otherwise, I don't know- but apparently there was something in the metal of the ship itself, or something rather that was not benign. The substance would often cause many of the crew to end up in a fit of coughing, then coughing blood, and something he described as a "fire in their guts", which I guess they affectionately referred to as "metal lung", which would result in death for many of the crew members. As he recounted this to me, he went on to question why he of all people somehow managed to survive and didn't perish along with most of his crew. I perceived he felt a sense of guilt and sadness that he was allowed to live while his close comrades had to suffer and die. But as he so questioned, he went on to explain that from the little interactions we had, and especially the rescue from the crash brought to him to reflect and consider that perhaps, in spite of the guilt from his past, and in spite of the quiet, lonely life of a drunk he lived, that there was yet purpose for him. In the face of it all, despite the past, he came to realize that he had to carry on and fulfill whatever purpose that was.

I don't often have very poignant dreams- frankly, there's a fair number I would throw into the Salvador Dali bucket, if you know what a I mean. But this one stuck with me in the wee morning hours, as I went to transcribe it. Indeed, I still sit, pondering and thinking about it all- and from multiple points of view. While I can make no such claims as the man in this dream, I think it goes without saying that I, like most anyone, have regrets in my past that I still can't completely forget- or even good waves of fortune and joy that were my lot, when my good friends and family deserved so much more than myself- and surely they still do. But as easy as it is to get hung up on such thoughts, it is essential not to get lost in them. Don't let the past drown out the person who lives in the present and moves forward. And on the other hand, I am humbled to think I could ever play such a role in someone else's life- to be that extra push in the dark they needed to realize the truth, or to reconcile with their past. I don't often think much on it, as I worry I could become prideful on such a sobering matter. All the same, not for my own glory, but for another's, I hope that I may one day fill that place. What's more, I hope I fill it for more than one person. Obviously, it won't be any easy skip across the pond like it was in the dream; mercy's sake, I can't imagine what pulling an actual survivor out of a plane crash would be like! But still, I hope I am ready and perceptive when the opportunity shows itself. What's more, I hope you are, too!

On that note, we'll call it a week. I hope you all have good experiences as summer comes it its close. Until next time, see ya!