Last night I dreamt of forgiveness and new beginnings. Of acceptance and moving forward. Of the sadness of regret and the power of possibility.
A girl I once knew smiled at me, as her mother brushed her hair. Then, she was the mother and I felt the pain of loss, of years missed and opportunities not taken. But for all the sadness, I saw a future full of chances.
Dreams. Moments in time, mercurial and shifting, brought into focus while asleep. Yet, vague and haunting in my waking mind, impossible to catch again except in fleeting glimpses, seen but not quite grasped. The dream lost.
I am however unable to shift the image of a daughter and a mother. The same person, yet so very different. Separated by years, the distance of time and place.
Too long, too late perhaps. But a stark reminder of the fragility of friendships, of the importance of care and honesty. Of apology and admission, of responsibility and the realities of decisions and consequences.
As I enter this new year, ready to begin once more; full of hopes and dreams. As I define goals and seek clarity. As I aspire and want and need; and begin to understand the difference, this image gives me pause.
This scene that has been left behind, from a now forgotten dream, is troubling and there is a melancholy to it that I find hard to ignore for all that it has left me feeling hopeful.
I had planned to write of challenges, of starting afresh and with new eyes. Of taking opportunities and building and balancing and embracing; of beginnings.
But, perhaps the message left to me is quite simple; that opportunities are too easily lost and must be held and cherished and nurtured. That we can begin again at any time, and that we must not give power to our regrets.
And that those beginnings are as simple as we allow them to be.
You can find this weeks #ThePrompt linky here. I do hope this week’s prompt inspired you; I look forward to reading your posts.
Great piece of writing hon, I wasn’t sure if it was flash fiction or based on real life or what? I wonder whether my own mother has ever felt the way you’ve described. I can imagine I would if I were in her shoes xx
I’m not quite sure myself Renee, it just developed this way! Factual prose… if there is such a thing?! It was based on a flash of memory from a dream I had that I haven’t been able to shake off, and left me wondering about what it meant.
Beautiful post Sara and such a poignant reminder of the importance of the little beginnings we can make at any times and not letting regrets hold us back but instead motivate us to try again.
Ooh now I’m wondering whether the girl in the dream is you or an old friend or just a being conjured up from sleep… Beautiful writing as always X
Beautiful writing which is symptomatic of January I think. Love this xx
This made me feel quite teary! A lovely piece of writing. I like this because it suggests to me that sometimes we find our minds so full of sadness and regret that we don’t give ourselves space – or even permission – to start afresh. Wishing you luck with your beginnings! x
Such an elegance and grace to your writing, Sara. This is a powerful and thoughtful piece. The line, “…we can begin again at any time, and that we must not give power to our regrets” is something I’ll take with me and try to remember this new year. Beginnings are associated at the start of something, but that’s not quite the truth. We can begin anytime–middle, end, whenever–like you said. Thank you for hosting this week! Hope you’re keeping warm!
Gosh that was really moving! Bizarrely I dreamt of an old friend last night too. It definitely felt like a reminder to focus on what’s important – especially when it comes to friendship xx
Beautiful writing and very thought provoking.
Beautiful and thought provoking. There should be no regrets and we must take every chance of new beginnings. Thank you for sharing Sara x
Isn’t the brain an amazing thing to trigger so many feelings in our dreams? Enjoy all the new beginnings xox
What a beautiful post. It made me stop and think about my Mom and how our relationship has changed, how I have changed, and the direction in where I now need to head. Thank you for sharing. #PoCoLo
Much Love,
Lysa xx
This is very profound – beautifully written. I actually thought of a scene in Mamma Mia when the mother is brushing her daughter’s hair and singing about how quickly she has grown up. As a mother to two daughters, that scene always brings tears to my eyes (I’m talking about the stage show, not the film).
Very thought provoking post, Sara, and I agree with this totally.
“That we can begin again at any time, and that we must not give power to our regrets.”
Beautifully written, lovely! xx
This is so beautiful. I was thinking of time last night and how I think I am wasting it. And this just made me think of it some more. I don’t know what to do to max my time out as I don’t have the resources to do so. Lovely post. Thought provoking. #ThePrompt
What elegant prose and so perfectly timed at the start of the year.a although as you say you beginnings can start at any time. Feeling the pain of years lost and opportunities not taken is a phrase full of sadness and potential to change, to begin again. Now that I am the mother this, for me, this is very poignant and thought provoking. Lovely start to the year #ThePrompt xx
A beautiful piece of writing. I completely agree, we can begin at any time. We should grab opportunities and live life to the fullest. Very thought provoking x
Ah, Sara, you have beautiful words. The overall sadness of this isn’t lost at all. I don’t think we say Yes enough and so many opportunities pass us by. I’ve resolved to say Yes more this year, although I’ve spent the frst week already feeling miserable with at least one night resulting in me resisting a major depressive episode in the small hours. I can’t change the illness, but I can change how many chances I miss when I’m lucid enough to handle them logically.
I love the way the prose encapsulates the importance we place on time and how we should put NOW above the future, but that’s hard to process.
Happy New Year, lovely. x
This is such a beautiful piece of writing Sara – I love how it unfolds and develops and it is captivating reading. The ending really sums up the beginning, if you get my meaning. Commenting as part of #ThePrompt and thank you for linking to #PoCoLo :) x
This is so beautiful. I think you’re right, there are many things we can make what we want them to be. It can be about how you think about it xxx #ThePrompt
A beautiful sentiment, so wonderfully well-written. Especially liked the mother-daughter imagery and the message about not feeding regrets. One I need to really remember. x
Beautiful x