Dreams, Details, and Bigfoot
Time seems to be a temperamental character in my life. It goes quickly one season, entirely too slowly the next and then it switches tempo over the course of a single weekend. God must have designed our perception of time this way to serve a certain purpose. Changes in time throughout each experience reveals much about the way we handle events and what we view as important. As always, each week that passes teaches me to embrace each and every moment and even enjoy any little oddity that comes my way.
To illustrate what I mean by oddities and scattered occurrences, I will briefly explain my current dream situation. Lately, I have been having vivid dreams.
One such subconscious adventure included a camping trip with my family and a few friends from high school. We were in the wilderness of the Deep South, surrounded by swamp creatures and traveling circus performers. Each night, the performers at the campground provided entertainment for us, incorporating different swamp animals in their act. One evening, the lead actor announced his upcoming stunt featuring the largest, strongest and most mysterious creature in the entire swamp: the ever-elusive Bigfoot.
The details of my dream are fuzzy at this point, and I cannot remember the majority of what occurred after the show with the Sasquatch. I woke up just as my family and I finally made it to a different portion of the campground after avoiding capture with the help of an unusually friendly ‘squatch. I have no idea how we got there or what happened, but I most definitely wish I could have remembered our survival tactics so I could use these necessary skills in future camping trips that may go awry. After all, you never know when you will need to befriend or avoid a Bigfoot.
I will admit that this is not the strangest dream I have ever had (oddly enough), but this one did cause me to be reminded of how important it is to observe and cherish details in life.
Here, amidst the constant happenings of the college lifestyle, time moves by in scattered increments. It is easy to look at just the general picture and miss out on the details that pass you by. In between class, Woo Week, rock climbing at the new Recreational Center and coffee shops, I constantly fall into the mistake of living deadline to deadline and missing a few stops in between. This is why I constantly note the importance of building relationships both on and off campus, especially with fellow students and those in leadership. Once I stop whatever I am doing and break routine for a moment, I immediately see twice as much beauty than I had before. Conversations with a trusted resident advisor, reuniting with an old First-Year Orientation and Christian University Success Leader or simply conversing with someone new helps to open yourself up to new possibilities and enjoy the journey all students go through at California Baptist University. We surely are here for each other, and we should enjoy this unique time of fellowship as we strive to earn a well-rounded education.
As Christ lived a life aware of others and keen to advance the kingdom of God, so we as believers should do what it takes to observe life. Relationships, worship and service opportunities are all around, and it is a shame to miss out on any because of too much focus on routine. The time will come where we look back on life at CBU and think fondly on our friends and adventures, rather than that one paper you stressed over for a while. It is the details that we will remember; so let us embrace them now. After all, if the (unlikely) time comes where we all must learn to befriend a Bigfoot, the details are what we will want to remember.
0 Comments