I have been depressed after my ocular rosacea diagnosis. My eyes need attention throughout the day and the relief has not occurred yet. I still have to get an ultrasound of my thyroid gland as well. Understandably, at least on the human level, I feel as if suddenly nothing is working for me. I am going through the motions of eye care, ultimately it is what it is. So the word “acceptance” comes to mind.

Last night I had a quite unusual dream. In it, Rob and I were out driving, looking for a place to stay because the storm had hit. Suddenly, I told Rob to pull over because I saw an incredible tree in someone’s yard. It was taller than the others and my impulse to walk around this yard was strong.

We stopped and got out of the car. Here the details are murky, but I will describe it as best I can. An old woman came out. I knew we were in a very posh section of town. But as we looked around, we saw that she had turned everything in nature into a thing of beauty. She was a folk artist, but looked so very ordinary.

We were both exclaiming over what we saw. Rob was taking pictures of her art on his phone. She had taken many otherwise ordinary pieces of the landscape and transformed them into wonderful experiences for those that viewed what she had done. Yet she was modest about it all.

We stayed there for hours and hours. We met her sister and a granddaughter as we oohed and aahed at her remarkable ability to transform the ordinary into beauty. She remained humble.

At the end, I took a picture of Rob and realized that he was more artistic than I thought. He, too, was drawn into the amazement at the extent of her talent.

I woke up, still depressed and worried about making storm preparations if they were needed. Decades ago, we had to move into a motel after an ice storm. But then I was not on lots of meds and having to do eye care. I will make a list of all the things I need, should our house lose power and suffer damage. We have very tall pine trees and poplar trees in our yard.

This was a big dream, although I feel just as anxious about the storm. Human beings these days are suffering from sudden weather events due to climate change. May God help us all.

Vicki Woodyard