A Reality & Dream Collision

Sometimes reality and dreams collide without any rhyme or reason.

I walked down the hall and saw an open office door. The person behind the desk waved me over and gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. I sat and listened to the conversation between him and another person. I quickly realize he is a publisher receiving a pitch on a book idea. He requests a proposal and then looks at me.

So I pitch my book.

He listens. He asks questions. He rubs his chin.

I hand over a one sheet and first chapter. He reads. He smiles. He asks more questions.

I answer short, succinct answers. I've done this before. I'm nervous on the inside, but project confidence of my story and its two sequels.

Finally, he stands and says, "I like your book and want to present you with a contract."

I too stand. On the inside, I'm jumping up and down—thrilled. But on the outside, I smile and shake his hand. "Do you like spicy food?"

He frowns, cocks his head to the side, and nods. I guess that's not the response he expected.

I reach into my bag and give him a jar of homemade hot pepper relish. "My husband loves this. Hope you like it too."

He holds the jar up and looks at the multi-colored pepper and onion mixture. "Thanks. Now let's go get that contract." He leads me out of the room and down the hall.

That's when I woke up.

Receiving a contract has been a DREAM for a long time. Making 33 pints of hot pepper relish is recent REALITY.

Even as I slept last night, my house smelled of relish and left me craving a hot dog. In the last couple of weeks, I've been sending off my final manuscript, proposals, and queries. I'm thinking my sub-conscious took recent realities adding my deeply-desired wish and produced the cool dream above. It still makes me smile. Maybe one day it will come true.

If it does, I doubt I have a jar of relish in my bag, but one thing for sure there will be a smile on my face and gratitude in my heart. And maybe a hot dog for lunch.

What about you? Have you had a reality-and-dream collision before? I bet so. Care to share? Thanks!