My friend Tallulah and I sit having lunch in a neighborhood restaurant. It is our favorite. I usually get a chicken sandwich but today I get a burger and fries. They have great coffee and I have about 3 cups. Delicious.

Our talk today is as always a mixture of news and inner stuff like dreams and our purpose here on earth.

“Last night I dreamt that suddenly wild animals were coming out of the woods and rushing towards people. When they got to me, they calmed down immediately. There were bears, tigers, foxes, all kinds of wild things and I seemed to have power over them.

Towards the end of the dream a snake became visible and I was terrified. I was advised to continue giving my attention to the animals I had drawn to me and to ignore the snake.

There was also a man in the dream that felt like my animus. All in all, it was a big dream and a good one.”

Tallulah says, “I could just picture you in your blue sweater calming the animals. It was like something out of a storybook,” she said.

She is a dream counselor and has worked on dreams with people for years. We also kick around our purpose as we age and how simple life can be and yet complicated at the same time.

“I find myself at home more and more,” I tell her. “The simplest things are what I seek now.” And she agrees.

After we say our goodbyes, I go to the library and drugstore and come back home. I take a walk, read for a bit and settle down for a quiet evening.

Life is good when things are relatively quiet. Time for introspection and lots of me-time.

Vicki Woodyard