I’ve been learning mass amount of lessons as I quest into freelancedom. Some I’ve had a harder time at internalizing. For example, a loaf of bread will eventually mold in the refrigerator (I know, shocked me too!); or when you want something sweet to eat, but don’t want to spend money on fancy deserts with rich ingredients, hot water with sugar is not a satisfying substitute.

On the flip side, I have encountered some pleasant aspects to the freelancing life (other than the obvious ones like casting off the shackle of oppressive employers, and being able to go outside when you want to and watch the sunlight dance off the leaves of trees and the glistening coats of the birds as they leisurely flutter by). Specifically, the dreams.

It’s seldom that I set an alarm clock to wake up. And by wake up I mean: bash the plastic surface of the device every 7 minutes until it has no other choice but to disengage or face destruction - at which point some primal time piece inside of me jolts me awake in a panicked state to the realization that I have lost the delicate duel with the one called Snooze. It’s a battle I don’t have to face too much these days unless - goodness forbids - I have to leave my house before 1 PM or something. The magnificent benefit of this is that I now typically sleep until I wake, naturally, without a device. And that has allowed me to dream like I don’t normally dream.

Expansive, bizzare, charming, horrifying, exciting, mystical, symbolic, CREATIVE dreams. Perhaps the last element is most significant here. My dreams are creative, and have me waking up thinking things like “I want to try/write/draw/design that.” Or “ah ha! That’s what that project/piece/idea/poem was missing!” And even sometimes “oh lord. Lemme just lay here for a minute to make sure that didn’t actually happen in real life.” You know what I’m talking about.

Personally, when I had to disrupt my sleep every morning with an alarm clock, I found that the process would most often leave me without any recollection of my dreams. That was always disappointing since I know there’s all kinds of freaky things up in this dome piece that are sure to make the dream experience really valuable. And I was right. Now, if only I could manage to become aware inside my dreams without waking myself up! You know what I’m talking about.