So, writing about my dreams is a really big deal, and it is really hard for me because of how personal they are.  I rarely remember my dreams, and when I do, they involve people that are really important to me, so I try to keep them in my own mind instead of sharing them with the world.  Because of that, I’m not going to give a lot of details about my dream… it just has too much personal meaning for me to share everything.

Also, my dreams are really boring in comparison to the ones that other people have written about.  I don’t remember dreams that have anything fanciful or mythological in them… they’re just about my life and the people that matter to me.  But the one that I had, literally right after we got this assignment, was funny in my opinion.

I grew up in Denver, in a very urban setting, and my friend has given me grief for three years about moving to Montana.  So in my dream, I was walking out of my building and he was standing there… in full cowboy get up, thinking that he would fit in.  It’s hilarious because his normal outfit for a day is a plain t-shirt and jeans, with sandals.  And he just looked mortified when he saw more people in snow gear than cowboy attire.  It was really funny because I made him go to SOB and attempt to learn how to dance, and he got really annoyed because he grew up break dancing.  By the time that he “left” Montana, he had completely rescinded all of his comments about my choice of college and I just stood there laughing as he drove away.

In all honesty, it probably isn’t a good story at all… but it actually ended up being really significant for me for a couple of reasons: I was actually able to remember a dream when I needed to; and it made me smile because, even though it was a dream, it offered some of the reassurance that I needed about decisions that I’ve made.

The tree assignments that we had really started to play on my mind the last couple of days.  I tried to recognize coincidences with trees, but I didn't find any. Instead, I thought about two trees from home that are the only ones I ever really remember.  One is a giant willow tree that sat in the front yard of my friend, Katee's, house.  When I think of Willow Trees, I don't see them as "weeping willows" because all of my memories connected to that tree are happy.  But thinking about it, I really wanted to know what mythology had to say about these trees.  One of the big connections that I found while looking this up, is that willow trees are closely connected to water and the moon, and the Greek Goddess Helice.  Because of her, water was used in witchcraft ceremonies.  The connection that directly relates to this class, is Orpheus . He carried Willow branches down to the underworld with him on his journey.

The "weeping willow" idea came from the 16th/17th centuries, when lovers would mourn for their lost loves. There aren't many explanations for this, other than the physical characteristics of the trees.  By the 1800's, willows were commonly used representatives of loss, being carved into gravestones, or put on mourning cards.  There are so many connections to myths: too many to list, which is why I just focused on the ones that I found interesting or important.  Also, I had no idea that this is how the tree was given the name "weeping willow". I found all of this information on "Trees for Life", the website address is http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/forest/mythfolk/willow.html.

That willow tree that I remember... I guess it has a weird story that I would say is a coincidence.  My friend that lived there, our lives have always kind of been interconnected.  Our parents grew up together, and then lost touch until she and I were placed in the same class.  And then we grew up, and started to drift away from each other.  But when we graduated, I came to school here, and to my surprise, Katee's family also moved to Bozeman.  For them, it was just a spur of the moment decision.  But it once again connected our families.  A couple of months ago, I was talking to Katee's mom, and she brought up the willow tree.  I hadn't thought about that tree in several years, but I think that the tree is one of the images that I can always connect to that friendship.  So, I guess that the willow tree is personally connected to a really big coincidence that brought my friend and I back together after several years of not being in each other's lives.

I guess the literary "coincidence" for me is that I didn't expect the willow tree to be mentioned in Metamorphoses.  Honestly, aside from this class, I've never really thought of trees as something other than a piece of nature that was really pretty and fun to relax under.

Hug A Tree

Tree Hugger (Not yet)

I had every intention of hugging a tree before class started today, but I didn't.  It's not like I have a problem doing that... honestly, I would probably be one of the people that does that on their own, with no purpose, just because it's fun and funny.  And, you have to find the perfect tree to hug if it's going to be captured in a picture.  I know it's a random question, but if anyone has a particular tree that they really, and I mean REALLY like, would you let me know? Because I don't want to hug a tree that I don't like...

And, I like seeing everyone's tree hugging pictures... they make me smile.  It's really cool that everyone is willing to embrace the random assignment, because it's entertaining.  And it shows that people are being good sports. :)

Originality

In class last week, we talked about the idea of being original at something, whether its a thought or idea, or even an action.  I've been stuck on that thought for a couple of days.

If being original means going back to the origin of a certain thing, then does that mean that there is nothing original about anyone on the planet because all of the thought and ideas that we have, have probably been thought of by other people through out history?  I understand where that definition comes from, but I don't know that I believe it...  if you look at anyone on the planet, we're different from everyone else, even if its just because of how we interpret a thought or idea, so doesn't that make us original in every way possible?  I love thinking that we're all original in who we are.  Just imagine if there was no such thing as originality.  It would be like living in a society like Ayn Rand's Anthem.  In that world, life was set up for everyone, no one really had a choice, except for the people that ran away from society.  Life would be so depressing if we were all stuck in that kind of society, where the expectation was to follow the norm, not think for yourself, not do anything different.  In all reality, people were stunted by not being able to be original.

I think that we're all a sum of our thoughts and actions... which means that, in some way, we're all original.  So even if we think about the same things as everyone else, the way that those ideas shape us is what really mattters.