What is a Dream?

I wrote a play called “A Dream Deferred”. It was produced as a live play on stage, and as a short film. It won an award from the Black American Cinema Society in Los Angeles and is housed in the Special Collections of the Los Angeles Public Library. The story lends itself to multi-dimensional possibilities. In a moment triggered by the first Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, a restaurant owner chooses to keep his diner open on the holiday in 1986. His dream was to have a successful business. As he stood in the satisfaction of his success, he was revisited by a ghost of his past. Through this ghost, he was able to confront his grief, his demons and his fear to embrace triumph. Doing so, ridded him of his psychological burdens and allowed him to embrace his personal freedom.

Subconsciously, we each hold something in our past which calls for us to confront it so that we may move to the next level of our awareness and toward freedom and success. When we are still mourning a loss from the past, it is difficult to see a new future. If we are burdened by our fears, it is a great challenge to embrace joy.

At night, a dream may encompass images, thoughts and emotions. Or it may include fantasies, cherished ambitions or goals. A dream may be some ideal as we are processing our subconscious and conscious aspirations. What happens when we sleep may even be the fulfillment of something perfect. Our mental activity in sleeping may show us images, emotions and ideas occurring in our mind during REM sleep. And we may have vivid sensory and motor experiences. Ever dream you could fly? I did…often!

When daydreaming and fantasizing, we can imagine or indulge thoughts and embrace our wild fancy. Our wish or goal or cherished ambition that we hope to achieve may look like a dream job or whatever the American dream is for you. A dream house is so beautiful and charming. And that which we consider to be ideal or wonderful or perfect may seem unreal.

In contrast, a vain hope or delusion may keep us separate from our Joy. We may even run from our dream for fear that it will lead us to failure. For others still, who keep their dreams a secret fear that telling another would eliminate the possibility of it coming true.

And what about those who dream big and never do the things they dream of doing? A dream deferred perhaps is one we gave up on because the fear of success is greater than the fear of failure. Or maybe stepping away from our dream may quell the pain of failing despite our greatest efforts.

How do we hold our dreams? Are they precious enough to explore and achieve? Have we rejected the possibility of achieving the dream? Have we given up on ourselves? Or are we willing to give it a try with all we’ve got?

Dreams may live with us for decades. And a fresh dream may demand our immediate attention. What is a dream for you? How are you holding it? Is it precious? Is it daunting? Is it yours? Is it someone else’s? Who would you be without it? Who will you become as you achieve it? It is part of your divine destiny. Do you dare ignore it? Perhaps the Presence of God is asking you to step into your dream. Can you chance ignoring it? Don’t!                                                                                               

Namaste,

Celeste A. Frazier