My Weird New Year’s Resolution

Mick Short

Do you recognize that name???

No???Well, it’s the name of the man of my dreams.??

Seriously.??

I’m going to tell you a story that is so odd I’ve wrestled with whether I should even share it in any kind of public arena. I’ve decided, though, that it is too weird not to share. . .

For Christmas a friend gave me a wool ski cap from sportswear company ROOTS. I don’t ski but she knows I like hats.??

One night last week it got really cold here in the Valley and I decided to sleep wearing the cap. That tidbit is not the embarrassing part of this story!

I typically go into a deep sleep and have dreams that play out like movies.?

I don’t actually recall my ROOTS-capped dream except that I woke up remembering that there was a man in my dream named “Mick Short.”??(names and locations changed)

Odd as I don’t know anyone with that name – I don’t even think I’ve ever met a “Mick.”

In the days following, I wondered what could be significant about “Mick Short.”?

Finally, I decided to check if there was a Mick Short on LinkedIn. Yeah, this is the part where things get really weird.

I typed in his name and a bunch of “Mick Short” folk popped up – the first Mick, though, lives in Maine and is an executive. . .for ROOTS sportswear!??

WHAT THE???

I get a ROOTS ski cap as a gift.??

I sleep with the cap.??

I dream about Mick Short.??

Mick works for ROOTS – in the non-dream world.??

What can I say???

I have been in awe of the “coincidence” / synchronicity of it all. . .and?once again, I am invited to remember that there is more to life than I can fully comprehend.

So, what does it all mean???

I don’t know.??

What I do know, though, is that I’ve been reminded just how easy it is to take the wonder of life for granted.??

In my life –

I want order and predictability.??

I want apps that will give organization to my day.??

I want food that’s fast.??

I want knowledge and connection and gratification that are at my fingertips tapping on a smart phone or tablet.??

And all of that is beyond great.??

It’s phenomenal really, especially when you know that an olive green princess wall phone and an IBM Selectrix typewriter were the height of my teenaged high-tech world!??

Mick Short, though, reminds me that there is so much more to life.

In his play, “Small Craft Warnings,” Tennessee Williams has one of the characters ask this question –

“What is the one thing you must not lose sight of in this world before leaving it???Surprise. The capacity for surprise.”

Life, as you know all too well, is full of shocks that can knock us about.??

Surprise, though, is something else.??

It’s what gives life moments of refreshment and healing.??

Surprise can remind us that although life is whacky, it summons us to put forth whatever good we have in us.

If I were a songwriter, I’d probably write a ditty about Mick Short, but I’m not.?

Instead, at the start of this new year, I’m going to let him challenge me – challenge me to renew my respect for the mystery of life and people.??

I’m resolved to renew my commitment to being curious, to letting go and to being grateful.

Okay, that last sentence really sounds nice – but – it masks my frustration.?

Have I done anything differently since my ROOTS-inspired dream???

Not really.??

Yet, I know that within that dream lies the invitation for 2023 –

To not live in a numbed state.??

To live a life that is as vibrant as my dreams.??

That is Mick’s gift – a call to renewal.

and THAT’s the business of confidence!