175 pages of dreams
There is so much to write about. The doves sitting on the power line. The mask my nana sewed for me, the same fabric she used to buy to make tiny dresses for my American Girl doll. Our 36-day streak with the New York Times crossword. Riding bikes in the wind. The new leaf on my monstera plant, light green and shaped like a heart. How, without fail, my grief and my joy grasp hands and pull me into the next day.
But today, I’m writing about dreams.
I’ve been keeping a dream journal for over a year. Every morning, bleary-eyed, I open up a note on my phone and write down everything I can remember. In a Word document, those dreams fill over 175 pages. It began slowly, with a few images or moments I held onto. But now I remember incredible detail and whole conversations. My dreams take me to other worlds and help me feel and process the things happening in this one.
If you want to keep a dream journal, here are a few tips:
1) Don’t get too frustrated if you can’t remember much. Write down what you do remember, even if it’s vague, and keep yourself open to parts of the dream that might come back to you throughout the day.
2) Let yourself wake up slowly (if you can). If I open up Instagram before writing down my dreams, I forget many of the details. Allow your mind some quiet space to help you remember.
3) Write your dreams down every day! The more I do it, the more I remember. It’s a loving daily practice for me.
4) Your dreams are yours, and you decide what they mean! When I was little, I loved reading those books that would tell you what every part of your dream meant. I still look things up occasionally, like when I dreamed that all my teeth were falling out! But if others’ interpretations don’t ring true to you, let them go. This is for you!
Happy journaling!
This is an awesome group of recommendations, if I do say so myself! I hope you peruse through and click on the ones that interest you (I never expect anyone to read all of them). Happy reading/listening/watching!
Reading…
What - and who - it takes to raise a family, in pictures. Cecily Strong on grief, memory, and narrative. The hunger-industrial complex (one of my favorite articles lately). During the pandemic, Amazon is more powerful and more vulnerable than ever before. A search for tubeless toilet paper. What I miss most is swimming. Celebrating butches. Some thoughts on COVID-19 (from awhile ago, but so lovely). Rich millennials redistributing wealth. What the characters of 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, and more would do during coronavirus.
Watching and listening…
The current season of Invisibilia is masterful and surprising and thoughtful - start with An Unlikely Superpower. Ben Platt and his brothers sing a beautiful version of “Ahavat Olam.” Also: Peregrine falcon babies living at the top of the UC Berkeley Campanile! A dramatic and hilarious cat video! A podcast about where the phenomenon of ‘unicorn poop’ came from! HAIM’s EP I Know Alone, a balm for the heart!
Recommending…
Homemade Disneyland Dole Whip. Cinnamon apple bread. Checking whether your library card gives you digital access to newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, and more. Setting up a designated time each day to respond to unread emails and texts. This 6-minute workout. Feeling your feet on the ground. Doing little sweet things for people you love.
This week, write down your dreams. You’ll be surprised by how good it feels.
Love,
Kira