Reminded of dreams

I used to dream about a house
and things and feelings of home
of wholeness and spirit and living in the city

This morning I walked the streets of Aarhus on my way to work. The weather is awesome, the park I traverse before I reach the city is spectacular, the amount of birds chirping, flying below the tree tops making their way to their new offspring, just learning how to fly.

I was reminded of a time when I was less of an adult and how I used to imagine myself, living an independent life, owning my own house, taking care of a garden, sipping cold red wine under a huge tree, reading books about life in a hammock. I had this vision of a house close to the water, so I could take my bike out there and take a swim in the morning.

It is funny how dreams change. When I thought of it this morning and felt a slight cramp around my heart - because it was so easy to dream back then. I miss dreaming of those kinds of things, peace and quiet and me in a hammock. Nowadays my dreams seem more complicated, more unattainable - it is like I forgot to work for the small things, even if I never forget to notice them.

I pledged to myself this morning to keep an open mind to dreaming. Remind myself to dream of simpler things. Now, here, when I am at work, I dream of an hour in the park with my book as soon as the work day is over.

Favourite poem in Danish

Der er to mænd i verden
der bestandig krydser min vej.
Den ene er ham, jeg elsker,
den anden elsker mig.

Den ene er i en natlig drøm
der bor i mit mørke sind.
Den anden står ved mit hjertes dør,
jeg lukker ham aldrig ind.

Den ene gav mig vårligt pust
af lykke, der snart for hen.
Den anden gav mig sit hele liv,
fik aldrig en time igen.

Den ene bruser i blodet sang
hvor elskov er ren og fri.
Den anden er ét med den triste dag,
som drømmene drukner i.

Hver en kvinde står mellem disse to
forelsket, elsket og ren.
En gang hvert hundred år kan det ske
de smelter sammen til en.

Tove Ditlevsen