I took a nap and had a dream.
The shape of my room had changed.
Yet nothing about it felt strange.
In the world of dreams, it was simply the way things were.
Only after waking up did I realize how different it had actually been.
—
Years ago, I became interested in lucid dreaming.
With a little practice, I learned to recognize when I was dreaming.
It was much like the idea portrayed in the film Inception.
I experienced many dreams within dreams.
Looking back, none of it was particularly remarkable.
More importantly, it is not what I want to write about here.
—
There is a way of looking at this reality as though it were a dream.
I do not mean that everything can be controlled at will.
The point is something much simpler.
It is okay to relax.
Not the kind of relief that comes from giving up.
Not, “None of this matters because we all die someday.”
Rather, do not become too serious about life.
What we experience seems to follow the direction we are facing.
Our emotions quietly reveal where that direction is.
In that sense, reality is not so different from a dream.
The harder we try to force change, the less it seems to change.
Perhaps the belief that something must change is what creates the reality in which change appears necessary.
It feels like a paradox.
The things we desperately want often remain just out of reach.
To desire something intensely is also to believe that we do not already have it.
So be sincere.
But do not become burdened.
Set your load down.
Perhaps living lightly is one small way of experiencing a gentler reality.