Yes, meditating at work; the definition of awkward, lol!
It seems to be dream time for a number of us so I'll share too.
This morning's dream that I woke up with and therefore had some recall and ability to influence the ending:
I was in a house which had been custom built by a man who adored his wife and put in amazing personal touches which were hand made and each unique. In particular there were some giant cupboards on the top floor in what would be the living room. Looking inside, they contained various forms of giant speakers; they were a sound system, a really large scale sound system. I can't imagine (now as I consider it) what kind of sound they would have made in such a tiny house in this crowded neighborhood!
Not entirely sure what they represented though I am thinking that they make sound and vibration; also that they were dusty with disuse and had great potential.
The downstairs area was a mess, crowded, dusty, possibly mold infested. Nobody wanted to touch it. The upstairs was livable and had definite hints of its former grandeur and beauty though it was in poor repair and didn't have any of its early shine. The house was condemned. People were looking it over, considering what they'd do with the space as it was for sale. It was obvious to everybody that the house itself was going to be torn down. As it was in a very desirable neighborhood it was very popular and going for a high price. The neighborhood itself was pretty vibrant but without much connection at all between people who were very squeezed into a 'desirable' space in tiny houses without much outdoor time nor interaction.
The place felt somewhat familiar and I was looking it over to see if it was salvageable and if I could make something of it due to the gorgeous features I mention above. It was just too much to try to salvage that downstairs area which was quite possibly a biohazard. Nevertheless, there was some really valuable stuff down there and lots that folks could use if it could just get cleaned up and distributed. I didn't even want to hire people (expensive!) to move things out or even give it away for free because I saw too much potential for spreading disease (mold or something nasty and insidious) so I considered other options. What came up was a clean, clear wave of water that washed the stuff a ways downhill where it conveniently washed up alongside a sort of corner where things could easily dry out and be picked over. This is what happened, to the delight of a big crowd of people who benefited from the various beautiful and handy items. I was very happy to see this redistribution and felt it evened out some sort of balance. It felt good.
The house itself could now come down gracefully with its parts being merged into what emerged next. What emerged was an open space with a big, beautiful tree. The tree reached up and around/down leaving a clean feeling everyplace it touched. Even in winter when it was just its bare branches, its profile enhanced the area with a touch of nature in a too-packed urban jungle.
At some point I realized that this idea was just what was needed; a few people sacrificing their houses for the sake of much-needed space between. It caught on, especially as older folks realized that they could bequeath the legacy of beauty on their old neighborhoods by taking down their house after redistributing what had been inside and the working parts (eg the walls, garage openers, gutters, windows etc). This recycling aspect really caught on and became a key feature of this town and then others. It became how houses were built; via loving reclamation of the best of the past with individual touches being added by acclaimed and much sought after reclamation artists so that each piece became highly valued.
After each house had its parts redistributed there was little left and this was carefully studied and each part placed where it went best. Nothing ended up in a landfill; these became considered horrors of the past.
Lastly, the landscapers filled in the space, or part of it, with something beautiful from the natural world. Whole parks were created, each more beautiful than the next.
At some point each of these parks had trees far taller than the remaining houses, which were few. They towered over the houses, threatening to take them over. This too was an imbalance so I/we/my dream state went through each space finding out what was needed. This turned out to be very simple: the people in the houses needed to care for and love the natural beauty around them. As soon as they did the balance was restored. It was so simple. All the issues took care of themselves. The trees became in synch with the people and were just the right size and type to fit with its neighboring houses, provide shade, fruit, everything that was needed.
I had an image taken from a line of Tolkien's writings (I can't recall the line) about the elves who talked to the trees. It was their beloved work to do so and when they did the trees, elves and other being lived in harmony, flourished and the trees grew in sentience. They started to talk. Some started to walk and care for the others. These were the Ents.
When the trees were not cared for, talked to and loved this way they became hostile. The somewhat sentient ones, the 'Hurons' became dangerous like "Old Man Willow" in "the Hobbit" book or the tree that almost swallowed Merry and Pippin in "The Two Towers" movie or the forest that grew up overnight at the outskirts of the Hornburg battle and swallowed any remaining orcs that fled after they were defeated in battle.
I guess the message is clear: talk to the trees and wildlife, love them, hug them, give them space so that the balance will be restored and life becomes easy and harmonious.
Gardeners of the world unite! (now there's a battle cry for you
!)
If you are a Tolkien fan, recall that Sam, the gardener became 'Samwise the Brave' with a host of incredible stories to regale his loved ones with, longtime mayor of his town
and he got the girl of his dreams, growing old with her in peace with a big, beautiful family. He also got the rare privilege of traveling by ship to the undying lands when he chose to, once he was quite old.
Is there a better life than that?