What do you think my scary dream was trying to teach me about prioritization?
Last night my eyes popped open at 3:17am.
I sat up in a cold sweat. Wide awake.
It’s not because my 3-year-old was bopping me in the head with his arm (which he was – a bad dream earlier in the evening sent him barreling into our bed and he was just too darn snuggly to kick out).
No.
What jerked me from my deep slumber was a very, very vivid dream.
And an eerie, eerie one at that.
Kate is one of my oldest and dearest college friends. We met on the first day of school freshman year, roomed together sophomore year, studied abroad near each other junior year, and, even though we lived in singles senior year (RAs), we were very tight. We were in each others weddings, at children’s baptisms, etc.
We don’t see a whole lot of each other these days. In large part because We live across the country from one another and have kids and careers and are just in that stage of life where life is just really busy. We don’t get to catch up all that frequently via phone either because of the differing time zones.
But in my dream she called me twice in two weeks. It was definitely noted that she called. Twice.
Of course, I was busy in my dream when she called so I didn’t pick up or call her back. Not sure with what. But I do remember being too busy and not being able to call her back.
And then, I got the phone call (or was it email?) from her husband.
She had passed away. She had been battling some kind of cancer and was trying to let me know about it via her phone calls…but I had been too busy to respond.
THAT is the thought that woke me up in a cold sweat last night.
I am definitely guilty of being very busy. Yet, with young kids, a job, buttoned up, I think I by-and-large have my priorities right in any given week. With that said, if I have an area that needs improvement, it’s catching up & staying up with old friends. Probably far-flung family members too.
Mercifully, it was all just a bad dream.
The moment I woke up, I walked to my office and dashed off a quick email to Kate with a date for a catch up. She replied excitedly this morning, which made my heart leap with happiness.
We’re on for a proper-catch up this afternoon.
But I’m taking the lesson that I should be better connected with my old and dear friends to heart.
