Thrill of the Random

On my left were empty seats with place cards for Bob Marley and Marley...my boyfriend said hi to my family and I asked if he'd be lunching with us. He said, 'Just 'til Bob Marley and Marley show up...' Then I woke up, strangely pleased. M.L.von Franz, a Jungian sage says, one must "remain alert of hints and signs, both in dreams and external events, that the Self uses to symbolize its intentions." Reggae or not, when the Marleys speak, a writer should listen.

The creative impulse is mischievous and can elude direct efforts to summon it. But a random adventure almost always wakes my muse. Yesterday, in a familiar town, I felt bored by the usual scene. Then, on a dim back street, I saw a Moorish style fountain spraying water near an old tavern.

We looked at the menu and decided to go in. The front of the building had a small, dark bar with antique furniture. It was the kind of place where a cheating wife would feel at home. But the back dining room was another story. It was built like a chalet with a vaulted roof and floor-to-ceiling windows. Diners gazed out at a giant willow tree flanked by a rushing stream.

The visit surely sparked my morning dreams. The place had three qualities that wake my creative drive: 1) Novelty -- I'd never seen the place before; 2) Strong natural imagery -- that willow tree, that stream, and eventually, stars; and 3)Randomness -- the entire adventure was completely unplanned.

Today I realize that entering that restaurant felt something like a dream. Nothing I saw was what I expected. Isn't that also the basis of a great plot? For a writer, new places and odd dreams are more refreshing than rain. They call your attention to different symbols and original ideas.

As Gandhi said, "If we have listening ears, God speaks to us in our own language, whatever that language is." That giant willow tree had words with me last night, then somehow raised the ghosts of the Marleys. This morning I inspected a willow near our house. In full sun, I saw a hint of green on its limbs and felt real joy. Creative renewal is always closer than it appears, and as Bob Marley said long before our phantom lunch, "None but ourselves can free our minds."