Thursday, April 25, 2013

Handwriting on the dreamer's wall


Our dreams often help us understand changes in ourselves and even suggest new courses of action.  Consider today’s dream which uses handwriting as the metaphor for the change:

Dear SMYD,

I dreamed I was assigned the task of relieving a manager until her replacement could get to work.  The manager leaving the job was a fairly young woman.  She was attractive, creative and confident.  I saw some of the things she’d made – purses and tote bags.  They were colorful and well made. 

In my role as intermediary, I signed checks and other important documents for her, as well as some correspondence.  I noticed that as I was signing these things, my signature/my handwriting changed from its original, right-leaning, uniformly flowing appearance to more upright letters and even left leaning ones.  In addition, it looked irregular.  The letters were different sizes and leaned different ways, all in the same word.  This bothered me, so I would correct it, forcing my writing to look better, like it did at first.  But almost immediately, it would shift back to irregular letter sizes and upright or left-leaning letters all jumbled together. 

Then, the replacement manager came through the office.  She was angry and unhappy and went directly to her new office and shut herself in.  She believes or knows she is hated in her new role.

At the end, I am explaining to the outgoing manager that she is loved, no, adored by everyone.  She has nothing to feel upset or unhappy about.  I tell her it’s her boss’s fault she has to go, since he didn’t properly prepare her for the job.  Then I tell the same to the new guy.

Signed,

Don’t Recognize My Own Writing

 

Dear Writing,

Handwriting analysts tell us that our written words on the page can reflect aspects of our personalities.  Your dream has taken this concept to illustrate changes in you.

Since your dream is set at work, we can extrapolate that the changes noted may have come about through your experiences on the job.  You don’t give specifics about this workplace, but we can speculate that you’ve been managing in a demanding and stressful job, just the kind that can take a toll on even the most dedicated employee.  The colorful young woman, adored by all may represent how you felt about yourself upon accepting the job.  But that person has been replaced. 

Somewhere in the interim, shown by your role as the intermediary, you observe yourself change from the forward leaning, confident, smoothly flowing manager, sure of herself and her place among her charges.  Just as your handwriting changed to uneven and unpredictable, perhaps you too have changed into the angry and unhappy person who locks herself in her office, certain she’s hated.  Trying to return to your old self, by forcing the old handwriting, does little to cover your changed state of mind.

It’s convenient to blame the boss, Dear Dreamer, and maybe he’s partly responsible.  But you must take care of yourself.  The handwriting is on the wall! 

Sweet Dreams to You!

SMYD

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