This week's dream circle participant is my cousin, Mael, who wrote to me about her dream of owning an Inn one day. Mael graduated with a degree in French and History and is currently pursuing a Master's in Counseling Psychology.
If you have missed any of the dream circle interviews here are links to the previous entries:
Anna-Marie Still
Jennifer McGuiggan
Alice Beavers Dake
Sheri Gaynor
If you are a blogger, artist, writer, crafty goddess or dreamer and would like to be featured in a Friday Dream Circle Interview, please contact me at katrinakniep@gmail.com.
********************Dream Circle Interview****************
Can you share a story about being afraid and doing it anyway?
It’s a toss up between going into see my mother after her car accident before she was medivac’d to the special trauma hospital or the first time I remember being alone.
I’ll go with the latter. I was probably 3, going on 4. My mom and my Papa went into town to pick up my dad who was home on leave. He drove a big semi that couldn’t turn around on our tiny dirt road. My mother probably assumed I wouldn’t wake up from my nap before they made it home.
I remember waking up sweaty and uncomfortable. I cried out for my mom, and no one answered. I went all over the house yelling for someone, until I got to the basement door. I HATED the basement. There were monsters down there. I was absolutely certain. Kat’s basement had fraggles, they left lights on. Who knew what lurked in our dark basement. My Papa’s room was down there. I remember opening the door and being so scared I could barely get a squeeked “Pa..pa?” It had felt like hours had gone by. This is probably the root of all my abandonment issues. I’ve grown into a clingy adult.
In my slippery footed pajamas I made my way to the basement. I checked each room with the exception of the shadow filled spidery furnace room, and raced back upstairs.
I checked outside too, even ringing the flakey emergency bell to see if anyone was in the woods. I was probably more in danger of being eaten by bears or cougars on our deck, than in the basement, where the monsters lurked.
Can you tell about taking a chance and how it worked out?
I chose to postpone finishing college to keep a relationship together. I followed him to Europe…twice. This delayed graduation by 2 years. After graduation I followed him to Minnesota. …um, I’m still waiting on the worked out part. Can I get back to you?
Could you please share a story about the unexpected moment of synchronicity?
I believe we make our own luck. A sour attitude can cause us to miss these magical little moments or at least not be able to appreciate them. The last time we moved to France was a recipe for disaster. We received our teaching placements 2 weeks before the start of the school year. We needed to first pack up our house in the States, then rent it out, find a place to live in France, get the dog ready for international travel, let the our schools know when we’d be arriving, etc… Oh yeah, I forgot my VISA hadn’t arrived, the post office couldn’t find it. I was starting to get wound tighter and tighter. I felt like I’d snap like a too tight guitar string. Just as I started to make travel plans to acquire a new VISA in Chicago, my showed up. The dog got her microchip and shots. Our house got packed (kinda). We rented got it rented. We sent expedited letters to our placement schools declaring our due dates. We found a great place to live shortly after arriving. (I was really really sick when we left the States. I let my boyfriend choose where we live; he did a really good job.) Too bad the school never read our letters. We showed up, and they weren’t expecting any teachers. Oh well… you win some, you lose some.
How do you feel about dreaming BIG?
Dreaming is what keeps people like me from burying my head under the covers in the morning. I’m an only child, so my imagination was the closest thing to a sibling. I love dreaming about the “what if’s”. I dream of owning a B&B with sprawling gardens filled with flowers and vegetables, as well as laughing children romping around with an energetic dog. There’s a farm in my dream with some livestock. This means there will probably be a fair amount of bull$#*t too. I’m trying to keep the dream within the realm of reality. Everyday I try to make conscious decisions that will lead my dream into fruition. It helps to write your dreams down. I’ve got notebooks full of floor plans and garden items. I may have taken it to the extreme. My house journal has pictures of every home idea I’ve liked down to pictures of socket covers. There’s no hard or fast rule to dreaming. It can be as big or as little as you want.
What are you working on now?
I’ve just started a MS in Mental Health Counseling. I’m probably writing at least 4 hours a week. I work as a paralegal too so briefs and affidavits make up part of my days. It’s not always fun writing, but it keeps me sharp. It’s good to be able to switch between styles.
What is your dream assignment?
I love to Travel and I’m a total foodie. I’d love anything that involved those two things. Combine them, and I’d be a hog in slop.
When I lived in Paris, I used to spend all of my petty cash on eating out at hidden little gems. I’d pretend I was a food critic. I found it actually helped my improve my palate. I certainly tried things I’d never dreamed of before. Pied de cochon s’il vous plait, anyone… anyone???
If you are a blogger, artist, writer, crafty goddess or dreamer and would like to be featured in a Friday Dream Circle Interview, please contact me at katrinakniep@gmail.com.
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Thank you, Mael, for participating in this Dream Circle Interview. I love you, cousin!
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3. It's that time of year again. The time when I start hoarding Snickers Eggs. Warning: they are addictive! Seriously, I think that they put special Snickerness in them.
