In 2004, when we were looking for a new space for our A.R.E. of NY Center, I had a dream.
We had opened our Center on 28th Street, but after several years there, we were seeking a better location. When I had this dream, my husband, Peter, had just found the space at W. 30th Street that we eventually moved to.
In the dream, I was in a boat with a group of A.R.E. friends. We were sailing down a river and all seemed to be well. And then suddenly, there was a waterfall ahead! We tried to turn the boat, but it was too late. We went over the falls. It was terrifying.
We all fell out of the boat and the boat itself seemed to disappear—but all of us emerged from under the water—all of us alive and well. We had lost the boat, but we were all okay.
I shared this dream with the team that was searching and planning for the new Center, and we discussed it. Of course, a boatful of A.R.E. people seemed like a clear symbol for an A.R.E. Center.
Was it a warning? Was the dream telling us it would be a mistake to move into the space at 30th Street?
We were not sure how to understand the dream, but we finally made the decision to take the space at 241 W. 30th Street. I’m glad we did, because our Community had twelve mostly-good years at W. 30th Street. In 2016, when our lease at 30th St. was up and the rent was going higher than we could afford, we moved to a third space on 27th St. Our Community had some good times, there as well. But in 2018, we met up with the waterfall and went over the edge. We could not keep up with the rent and had to close our Center.
BUT WE WERE ALL OKAY. Just as in the dream, we bobbed to the surface and found that all of us were alive and well. No longer in the boat—but we were alright.
When I had that dream, it didn’t enter my mind that the events the dream foretold would occur fourteen years later. But as I look back on that dream now, it seems to me that it was quite accurate, although, like most dreams, it told the story in symbols.
What is the main point or purpose of the dream? I think it affirmed that our Community is more than a physical Center and that we could survive the sinking of the vessel.
We have survived the sinking of the vessel.
And why is this dream coming to my mind just now? I think it’s because more changes are in store for our A.R.E. Community – but more about that in our next e-newsletter.
