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Dreams of Extraordinary Deeds

Good Works are Recorded in Our Biology

By Chris Dunmire, CurrentLiving.com

Today during a mid-day nap I experienced a dream that I consider too important not to record. So after waking up, I immediately went into my office and began typing out all the details I could remember.

Dreams such as this I consider gifts of clarity and understanding. The following is the dream sequence and my interpretation of the events during and after the dream.

The Dream Sequence

I entered a room where a few dozen people were gathered. I immediately recognized several people from my life, including my mother and a very close friend, but the others seemed unknown to me. All were sitting in audience fashion as one person was reading out loud from an essay while the rest listened. I noticed proud tears of joy in my mother’s eyes.

I took an open seat by myself on the side of the room near a wall, and looked directly behind me at my close friend in a seat behind mine. She acknowledged me with a warm smile and a friendly rub on the back. She knew what was happening in the room, but didn’t clue me in. So I turned forward and listened to the reading which sounded like a story, a recollected experience from somebody’s life.

After a few moments, I recognized the story as an anecdote from my own life. The words being read were by an old retired co-worker about an incident in which she and I were both involved, and the highlight was on a helpful deed I did to make her day brighter. It was an unexpected revelation that she felt happy inside about what I had done, especially since in our work relationship I felt she had an “uppity” disposition by her attitude towards me. I was humbled by this new information.

The first reader stopped and a second person resumed the reading. The entire essay was printed on multiple white pages and stapled together in the corner. It looked like everyone in the room had a copy except me, so I continued to listen closely.

Again, the next piece from the essay was another story involving me and someone else from my life, and something “extraordinary” that I did in the situation from the kindness of my being. I suddenly realized that these people were gathered for the purpose of reading this well-orchestrated work devoted entirely to honoring me and the good deeds I had done or "gifted" their lives with.

After listening to several of my own life experiences being reflected back to me in such a touching, affirming way from someone else’s perspective, I began to understand the lesson I was being taught through this dream; the importance of seeing the larger picture of life that is contained within each of our own human experiences, and that of our collective experience.

There are so many "unseen" things that we can't see happening as a result of our words and actions. And because some humans tend to focus on the immediate, tangible results of their expended energy, when they don't receive in equal measure what they give, they begin curbing or withholding. They may even begin harboring resentments and fears.

I was learning through the public reading of this essay about me that cause-and-effect has a dynamic, elasticity property to it, where the effect may not be fully received or appreciated until a later time. And when (or if) that happens, we may never learn about it. On a spiritual level I realized how important it was to continue with these good deeds no matter what I perceived or received in return.

From the corner of my eye I recognized an older friend from almost 20 years ago sitting in front of me. This friend mentored me during my mid-teens, and I lost contact with her after choosing my own life path. At that moment, she looked like she was going to get up and leave for an appointment (she was always on the go like that), but before she did, she turned to me and handed me her essay copy. With a smile she congratulated me and told me how nice it was to see me again. And then she left.

I looked at the essay while still hearing the faint reading going on in the room. Curious about the essay's origins, I turned the folded-over pages back to the front page. I didn’t notice a byline so I began reading the essay from the beginning to understand why it was written and perhaps who the author was.

The first few paragraphs were introductory about me, almost biographical as it summed up what I have been doing in my work and creative life over the last few years. It referenced my Web-based projects, my introspective journey writings, and the way I continue to inspire and help others with the things that I do. It was written in a celebratory, rewarding tone.

I read the beginning with resonance. Whoever wrote this essay knew much about me and my personal life. They also knew my innermost feelings. It almost felt like an intimate friend revealing the secret places inside me while spotlighting my sacred intentions. They knew how important it was for me to contribute love and beauty to this world while helping and honoring others on their own journeys.

The author also knew of many people across the decades and facets of my work, religious, and social lives, who had heartwarming stories to share about me. Such a coordinated work was an amazing accomplishment. It was clear to me that whoever wrote it could see much more than the average person could. Perhaps they were even of divine origin. I was not the author of the essay.

The last feeling I had before waking was a kind of warm knowing. A knowing that communicated to me that everything I’ve done in the service of others in my lifetime is chronicled. It may not be chronicled in an essay that is read publicly, but it is written on the hearts of those involved and in the history of their lives. Our lives.

Those times when I may have felt that an honest effort went unnoticed or was under-appreciated, it truly wasn’t. The energy I put forth, the thoughtfulness of my well-intended words or actions were received within that situation by the person I shared that energy with. Perhaps they were feeling rushed or overwhelmed that day. Their gift is in their memory and sense of gratitude; the seeds of intention that I planted will reap bountiful benefits when that person is able to understand and appreciate the unfolding of that event. It is possible that it won't happen. But it was my energy investment, and now I know it was also a gift. For every time I reach into someone else's life with the intention of love, it is a gift for both them and me.

A dream like this is a rare occurrence for me. However it happened and even if it was simply my own self-realization — my brain making sense and plopping pegs into holes for the purpose of organizing and sweeping up neurological pathways in my brain, it was a life-expanding experience for me. One definitely worth chronicling for myself. •

© 2007 Chris Dunmire, CurrentLiving.com. All rights reserved. (04/07/07) Please do not duplicate this article elsewhere without my permission.

About the Author
Chris Dunmire is creatively engaged in life as an artist, writer, humorist, and publisher of the popular Creativity Portal Web site. She's trained as a creativity coach with Eric Maisel, Ph.D., and develops projects and playbooks to encourage creative thinking, artistic expression, and play in people of all ages. Learn more about Chris's books at CreativeSlush.com.