The dream is the truth.

I can't remember how many times I've read Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God since high school, but yesterday a friend provoked me to read it again. Happily I obliged. When I had some time, I found a cozy corner in Barnes and Noble and opened up my old beat up copy, whose written in and yellowing pages I much prefer to all the shiny new unopened books that sat on the surrounding shelves.

Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men.

Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly (1).

In the eight years and numerous times I have read that opening passage, yesterday was the first day that I understood it. Yesterday was the time for me to understand it. Hurston writes quite plainly that men spend their lives chasing dreams. Some achieve them, "they come in with the tide," and others are "mocked to death by Time." On the contrary women live their dreams. Their imaginings are realities. Their actions make their imaginings real. 

In my life I have had the uncanny ability to see my dreams manifest themselves. To bring to fruition whatever goals I set for myself. Somehow it always works out. (Thanks God!) Right now, despite being a working poor woman, I have managed to create a life in which I can do the things that I really want to be doing - dancing, teaching, choreographing. Every day, I have an opportunity to do one or more of these activities and it is unbelievably exciting and satisfying. 

I'm not quite sure my parents knew what they started when they told me I could do anything I put my mind to, but thank you. I did. And I will again.