Often the smallest things in our past can leave the largest imprints on our lives. However, recognizing the impact of these objects and moments presents the toughest challenge, but can produce enlightenment and realizations of the highest caliber. This is not far off from Rebecca McClanahan’s claims that, “The most common things can yield startling surprises when we give our attention to them.” In examining my own past, I have discovered this to be very true. The Miami Dolphins pillowcase I rest my head on each night, lying only inches from my heart, supports my deepest and most sincere thoughts, dreams, and imagination.
Hardly older than 10 years old when my mother sewed together the threads and seams of this fabric sack, I was just a little boy slowly discovering a passion for sports. As I would continue to grow in age, so too would my love for the Miami Dolphins. The connection to this professional football franchise has become amongst the deepest secular passions in my life. Of course, while this alone carries significant implications in my life, much more than my NFL fan hood is encapsulated in between my comforter and mattress.
It’s not much to look at, really. The vibrant teal and orange, which once attracted even the laziest of eyes, has faded noticeably. Full disclosure, the soft cotton fabric has probably absorbed more of my saliva than anything else on this planet. Yet where has it traveled? My pillowcase has accompanied me to a four star hotel in New York City, inside a snow-covered log cabin in the Rocky Mountains, on the top of a musty cot in the Big Easy, and everywhere in between. By my side and closer to me than any other, it has been everything I had hoped for and far more. There have been few journeys I have taken without my pillowcase. Still, beyond being with me for all my greatest adventures, it has played a more meaningful role.
With only a few exceptions, every night for more than 8 years I have laid my head down upon this pillowcase and let my mind drift away into my dreams. Oh the many things I have dreamt while sleeping soundly on these soft fabrics! More than anything else, my Dolphins pillowcase has been the gateway to my uncontrolled imagination and carried me through the emotional rollercoaster of life. When I had nothing else to cling to, I held on to my dreams. Some were produced by sleepless nights staring at the ceiling; others my clustered brain mixing thoughts together like a mad scientist. However they came about, they helped lead me to where I am today. And as I move forward, I continue to dream about what my future holds. With every new day I anticipate wild, unpredictable dreams leading to an awesome, unexpected future.
I know not when I will sleep my last night with my pillowcase. Perhaps something will damage it beyond repair. Perhaps I will lose it. Perhaps my future wife will tell me it has to go. When that day comes, it will be a sad one. Forever, that humble, teal sheet of cotton will be tied to my youth. But for now, I will get ready for bed; it’s almost time to go to sleep.
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