​It has OFFICIALLY been Spooky Season for about a month and I am living for it! October is one of my favorite times of the year, not only because of the fall foliage and pumpkin-enriched foods, but because of the ghost tales, creepy crawlies, and halloween costumes. Witches, goblins, vampires… say less. Not to mention the halloween movie classics, which will spice up any Tuesday night. As many of you know, I love spiritual stories - both good and bad. I think the reason behind this is that we really have no idea what happens when death occurs. Do we go to heaven? Are we in a simulation and simply wake up? Are we reincarnated? Who knows. I have my own beliefs as many of you do, but one thing we can all relate to is that this age-old mystery leaves room for the spiritual oasis (the place between the real world and wherever we go in the end) to exist. That being said, I have read and experienced many, many stories about weird happenings, dreams, and seemingly miracles. One thing that captures my attention most, though, are dreams. 

​Dreams are still considered a scientific mystery to this day. In fact, many studies have been conducted in an attempt to tackle this massive topic. Yes, these studies have unraveled some mysteries behind dreams, but there are things that cannot simply be explained by brainwaves or hard evidence - dreams are simply too complicated for that. Think back to the dreams that you have had or have heard about. Not only can dreams represent past traumas or decisions, but they can represent current emotions, or even predict future events (ever had deja vu?). So far, depending on the article you read, there are between seven and 12 different types of dreams: current/recent event, metaphoric/symbolic, fantasy/comfort, creative/problem solving, nightmares, lucid, and supernatural dreams. These types of dreams can be further broken down into subcategories depending on the nature of the dream, how it progresses, or even if it is depicted in color or not. By categorizing dreams, the dreamer can psychoanalyze and decipher what their subconscious is attempting to communicate. Truly fascinating stuff in my opinion. That being said, I’m going to dive into a couple dreams that I experienced a few years ago. They go with the spooky season theme, and are very much related to each other. With that being said, I hope you enjoy!

​It was always cold in Mike’s house, but the wintery months amplified how frigid it was. Although, I was always cold regardless, so that didn’t help my predicament. I don’t remember when I was able to drift off to sleep, but I do remember listening to Mike’s snoring as I finally closed my eyes, wrapped the comforter around me, and let sleep swallow me whole. Not long after, my eyes fluttered open, lazily looking around at my surroundings. I saw Mike to my left, rolled onto his side, facing away from me, and still snoring deeply. Sitting up, I turned back to look at him, but noticed a figure beside him out of the corner of my eye. I twisted further, staring down at my resting body. I looked peacefully unaware as I laid on my back with my hand on my stomach, head tilted at an angle, and my breathing even. 

​“Weird, but at least I’m breathing,” I thought. Just as I was about to sink back into my resting body, I let my gaze wonder around the small bedroom. Everything looked exactly as it did when we went to bed. Clothes and bags were littering the floor. Mike’s closet was closed partly, with the dirty laundry basket wedged between doors. Moonlight filtered in through the blinds to my right, casting shadows throughout the small space. Suddenly, my gaze landed at the far right corner of the room - a place where the moonlight couldn’t reach. Goosebumps ran up my arms as I squinted at the corner. I couldn’t see anything there, but a sneaking suspicion that i was being watched shuddered through me. My heart rate sped up and fear jolted through my spine. 

“I’m coming for him,” a voice spoke out from the corner, as the shadows danced around forming a potential figure. The voice was quiet, almost a whisper, but strong and determined.
“Why?” I asked. 
“I will have him,” the voice retorted. 
Thoughts were reeling in my head. I didn’t know what this entity, spirit, thing(?) wanted with Mike, but it felt real. The threat felt very, very real. I was terrified, but didn’t feel cowardly.
“You can’t have him!” I shouted. “I believe in God and he’s under my protection.” Gesturing to Mike’s sleeping body, I continued. “He is under God’s protection. So leave us be! I will ALWAYS believe in God and He will ALWAYS protect me!”

​Suddenly, I couldn’t feel the presence anymore. The room was still dark, everything was still scattered around throughout, but the threatening feeling was gone, just as quickly as it had appeared. Taking a deep breath, I slowly lowered back into my body and quickly faded into a dreamless sleep. 

​I awoke with a start, snapping my eyes open and glancing around Mike’s same bedroom. Attempting to sit up, I was met with an inescapable resistance, like my body was a cage and I was it’s prisoner. Taking a calming breath, I began to realize that I was dreaming once more. It’s okay, I can just wake myself up, I thought. However, after the third attempt of regaining consciousness failed, I began to panic, squeezing my eyes tightly closed. I could feel sweat dripping down my forehead, but was unable to lift a finger in protest. Suddenly, a familiar feeling of fear crept through my body, leaving me ice cold.  

​My eyes opened and were met with a dark figure, whose breath fanned my face. His features were created with dark shadows, making it impossible for me to depict who, or what, he was. I attempted to profess my love for God once more in a desperate plea to rid him of my dream, but no sounds came out. I was frozen in my body and unable to make a single sound. 

“I told you I would take him from you,” the voice spoke out to me as he slowly backed away from my uselessly frozen body. It was the same raspy, whispered voice as my dream a week prior. 
“He will never be yours and you will never be able to protect him.”
As I continued to watch, the shadowy figure withdrew a dagger from the swirling air around him. I desperately attempted to say something, but couldn’t find the voice, or even the words as the figure retreated to Mike’s curled, sleeping body. My anxiety and fear grew as the entity crept closer to Mike, dagger in hand. Quickly, and without remorse or hesitation, the blade pierced Mike’s chest. Simultaneously, my voice returned, allowing me to scream, “leave us alone!” But the damage was already done and the entity had vanished.

​I awoke abruptly, gasping for air. I could still feel the trickle of sweat rolling down my forehead and the pounding of my frantic heart. Immediately, I rolled over and placed a hand on Mike’s back, needing the reassurance that he was still breathing. The moon shone through the blinds, and Mike stirred in his sleep as if nothing had happened. However, I couldn’t shake my trepidatious feeling.  

​I hope you enjoyed my crazy dreams. With that said, stay in touch, stay in mind, and happy Halloween! 

​It’s that season again - season of change, fall colors, and warm sweaters. My favorite time of the year. Currently, I’m sitting at a nurses station in Townshend Vermont, fantasizing about sleeping instead of staying awake until 7 am. Night shift is always so draining. I can’t remember a time where working all night was easy for me. In fact, it used to be preferable. I would work an occasional mid-shift or day-shift and absolutely despise it. Isn’t it interesting how time and experiences change a person and their preference? After 3.5 years of variable shifts that excluded nights, I’m officially a changed woman. However, once the opportunity arose that would plop me back on the East coast, I couldn’t turn it down. Vermont in the fall time? Sign me up!

​I’ve been in the area for about 3 weeks now, and I can tell time is flying by. Typically my contracts do move quickly, but I’ve been able to really settle into this role way too smoothly. That being said, I know that the end of my three months will come soon, leaving me picking up my suitcase once more. Pondering my choice of job has me asking the daunting question: what am I really searching for? I see my friends settling into their own roles - new jobs, new families, or new relationships. People my age are finding their future husbands, having babies, or buying houses and settling in for the ride. Am I that far behind in my life? Or am I simply waiting patiently to make my own happiness? 

​While these questions surface every now and then, I know deep down in my heart that God has a plan for me. Hopefully, I can enjoy what He has laid out. It really can be difficult to not compare your life with that of others. Even though I recognize that I have different experiences and goals, I still fight the anxiety of not being enough. Not being where I’m supposed to be at my age. Then I remember a simple fact that everyone should remember: I am uniquely me. I cannot and will not base my life decisions on other people’s milestones or success. My life needs to be based on the goals and plans I find valuable and, for lack of a better word, enough. Enough to satiate my hunger for learning; for growing; for living. It’s with this in mind that I wake up every day with new perspective and a will to keep striving for what I want. What keeps you going? 

​With that question in mind, stay in touch, stay in mind, and stay on your path.