Not Dreaming

The last two nights I've awakened around 3:00 or 4:00 AM and not been able to go back to sleep for awhile. Last night when this happened, I just sat up in bed and looked out the window. I blinked my eyes several times trying to clear the sleepy blurriness and to compensate for not having my contacts in. The darkness and relative stillness of New York at that early hour makes my view very surreal. My eyes focused on the sparkling lights of all the buildings outside, and I laughed. The view reminded me of cartoons I've seen when the characters are in, let's say, the North Pole and a curtain is pulled over the window with a scene painted on it to look like they're at the beach. You know what I'm talking about? I pictured myself lying in my Birmingham bedroom and waking up to look out the window and seeing the same fabulous New York city scene. Seeing that view would only have been possible if I were in a cartoon - and judging from the stiff neck I had, I'm pretty sure I wasn't a cartoon character - or if I were in a dream...and a quick pinch reminded me this is no dream.

"You are walking in the dream God had planned for you."

~ Carrie Pittman, my sweet friend

Sitting on my bed and looking out the window at 4:00 AM...

_

...and again around 6:15 AM.