Dream of:
22 January 1996 "Book Review"I was writing furiously. I had finished a book of dreams and had submitted it for publication. The book was now being perused by a group of reviewers and their reviews would determine the fate of the book. In addition, I had to give a reading of some of my dreams to the reviewers. It was already late at night, and the reading was supposed to take place at 1 a.m., just an hour or two away. So I was now going over the dreams which I would be reading to the group, ascertaining that I had written them correctly.
I was apprehensive about the reception of my book. I considered the unusual nature of my book, and how I had never heard of a book of dreams being a commercial success. It was easy for me to see the value inherent in dreams, and the value a well-constructed book of dreams could have for others. But of course I had worked with dreams so long, I had an advantage which most people didn't share. Would others find any value in my book?
The phone rang and I picked it up. My father was on the other end. He knew about the publication of my book and about the reading which I would be giving that night. I could tell from the sound of his voice that he was proud of me. We both felt the reading would be extremely important, and although the book would be reviewed before the reading, the success of the book could be determined by the reading.
Since the reading would occur in a relaxed, social atmosphere, people would be drinking alcohol there. My father questioned whether I should drink anything at the reading; he thought alcohol might impair my mind. I told him I might not drink anything. He told me it would be difficult not to drink, and I would probably need to drink something if I wanted to be sociable. I told him I would probably simply have one or two drinks; that shouldn't hurt anything.
Just as I finished talking with my father and hung up the phone, one of the reviewers walked into the room. He was a strong robust man (about 40 years old). He had black hair and was wearing a blue shirt and tie. He walked straight up to me, took my hand, vigorously shook it, and congratulated me for the success of my book. My spirits went through the ceiling. From the reviewer's actions it was clear my book had been a huge success with the reviewers. I was stunned by a sense of well-being.
