from the department of waking dreams …

I tried to plan for this moment. It was past suppertime, and I was driving through the dark on I95 North after an emotional visit to family in New York City. I was 5 days into a sugar cleanse in an effort to break my addiction to sweets and white-flour laden treats. But the high-protein snacks I’d brought with me were running low, and I knew I wouldn’t make it home … still a hundred or more miles away, on a handful of pistachio nuts and a couple of dried figs.

But what could I buy at a roadside service plaza that would be healthful? I knew the fare well enough: McDonald’s French fries, Dunkin’ Donuts, greasy pizza, sugary shakes. I could buy a packet of sunflower seeds and probably a green or too-brown banana in the convenience store I’d find at a rest stop, but I wanted a real meal. I wished that a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods Market would appear by the side of the highway, but I travelled this route regularly and I knew better.

Then I remembered back to June when my friend Sherry and I had driven together to and from Virginia Beach for our annual dream conference.  When Sherry, a powerful dreamer and synchronicity queen, wanted to find good food along the way she’d announce, “Let’s manifest a healthy meal and see what happens!” Inevitably we’d stumble upon some unlikely restaurant selling baked-not-fried organic fare.

I smiled at the memory, but while manifesting organic food in the middle of nowhere might work for Sherry, I doubted it would work for me. Nonetheless, stomach growling, I decided to try.

I said a silent prayer that I’d find a nice white-flour- and white-sugar-free, healthy, high protein dinner. Within a mile or two I saw a turn off for a service plaza and pulled in. I parked my car, hopeful but prepared to have to compromise on the healthiest thing I could find at McDonalds, and went inside.

As soon as I pushed open the door a tall, attractive man holding a tray of free samples greeted me. I attempted to walk past on my way to the restroom.

“Ma’am, would you like to try some organic baked chicken tenders?” the man asked, stepping directly in front of me and practically pushing his tray in my face.

“Organic?” I asked.

The man nodded. “Baked not fried,” he said cheerfully, as I picked up a little paper cup containing a chicken nugget and tried one.

“Not bad,” I said, and thanked him.

He pointed out the stall where I could purchase some for my dinner.

As I proceeded to the restroom I shook my head and smiled to myself. Awake or dreaming? I asked myself playfully. For a moment I thought I must have dreamed the man, because when I exited the restroom there was no sign of him anywhere.

Luckily though, the counter where I could purchase an order of baked, not fried, organic chicken tenders was right there, plain as day, past the pizza place, McDonalds, and Shake Shack.

I bought my dinner and brought it into my car, where I called Sherry to tell her about my successful attempt at manifesting my healthy dinner.

Sherry cheered me on and reminded me of another game we’d played on our road trip. “Now turn on the radio and the first song you hear will have a message for you.”

I hung up the phone and turned on the radio. I was out of range of my pre-set stations, so the first song I heard was accompanied by a burst of static. I could make out the word Dream, however, and was intrigued. I fiddled with the dial to try to get the station in more clearly, and when I did I could hear a man’s deep baritone singing, “You have the power to manifest …” then something about dreams.

“Okay,” Sherry said, when I called her later, “are you convinced yet that it’s not just me, that you can manifest things, too?”

zzzzzzz

Paying attention to dreams is one way to attract synchronicity and a spirit of playful and productive magic into your life. Visit me at ThirdHouseMoon to learn more about the power of your dreams.