It's another round of Life List magic today, and I have the one and only Jess Witkins here today to talk about a dream she had, and one very peculiar at that. It will make you take up dream interpretation for sure. And it makes me pick up The Hunger Games, finally. Yes, it's time.
Oh, and don't forget to check my guest post at Jenny Hansen's blog. Today I blog about New Year's lists, Bucket Lists, and Life Lists. Basically, if you're a list-maker, we have something in common.
Finally, if you'd like to become a member of our club, you can read the terms on my Life List Club page up there. We take one member per month, so hurry up and email Marcia Richards. Also, we like to chat and promote over at #LifeListClub on Twitter, so that's another sure-fast way to find us.
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Big thanks to my host, the amazingly funny and sprite-like Lyn Midnight; I’m thrilled to be hanging out at Against the Odds, which consequently is the perfect title for my dreams of late.
I’ll explain. My previous guest post for the Life List Club unhashed the terrors of writer meltdowns and what the “mean reds” can look like if you don’t challenge them. I was beating myself up over failed plans and too much stress and I had no action plan that seemed to fix everything.
And then, finally it came. A week of vacation. You see, I work in retail. My vacations are sparse and few between; I don’t get weekends. I’m constantly playing catch up. Having a week off that was planned months in advance was a much needed rescue attempt at saving my soul. Ok, it wasn’t that bad, but I was clearly headed toward that blobby mess of a person who has potato chip crumbs and ice cream stains covering the bed, Sixteen Candles playing on repeat in the DVD player, and thick leg hair that’s getting greasy. Have I thoroughly disgusted you? You can’t fool me, I know you know what I’m talking about!
Thankfully, it didn’t come to that. I spent a week in Toronto, Ontario, Canada staying up late, gorging on rich foods, walking around a new city, and shopping for things like a pen from the CN Tower with an elevator that goes up and down depending which way you hold it. (It’s totally my writing pen now!)
What I really loved about my time off, besides visiting a new country of course, was the free time on the plane! Yah, I read the whole plane ride! I started reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, an apocalyptic future world where 12 districts are ruled under one dictating Capital. As punishment for past rebellion, the Capital has instilled The Hunger Games, a competition to the death where 24 teens compete to be the last one standing. Escape is not an option. If you haven’t yet read this young adult series, go now! Firstly, because Collins will hook you in the first four pages. Second, because if you grew up reading Kurt Vonnegut, Aldous Huxley, or George Orwell, you’ll love this book too. And third, it’s really frickin suspenseful and you will want to know what happens!
What does this book have to do with life goals? I wouldn’t have made the connection either except I have been having repeat dreams that I’m IN the hunger games. I’m hiding out in trees with camouflage and archery equipment and everything. And my life is in danger.
Perhaps you don’t believe in interpreting dreams, and that’s fine, but I do. Not all dreams, I used to dream a gorilla was breaking into my house when I was little, but we’re getting off track. In this dream I saw a sign. I have to fight for my life, the life that I want to have, just like the characters in the book have to fight. I can’t hide out forever. If I want to be a published writer someday, then I have to train, work with others, compete, learn and survive. No, I’m not planning on killing anyone! *hides ice cream scoop behind back* But, we all need to show up for our own hunger games, that thing in life we want most and dread having to do. The plus side is, once we commit to playing the game, we find out who our friends are, and we receive help along our journey.
What are your dreams telling you? How are you being a warrior for your life goals? Do you need someone to vacuum the chip crumbs off your bed? Come on over, we can do laundry together!
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Jess Witkins claims the title Perseverance Expert. She grew up in a small Wisconsin town as the much younger youngest sibling of four, she’s witnessed the paranormal, jumped out of a plane, worked in retail, traveled to exotic locations like Italy, Ireland, and Shipshewana, Indiana, and she’s eaten bologna and lived to tell about it! She deals with it all and writes about it! Come along on her midwest adventures; Witkins promises to keep it honest and entertaining. Go ahead, SUBSCRIBE, you know you want to. Follow on Twitter: @jesswitkins
