It was the knock out punch that did it

It was the knock out punch that did it. The next thing I remembered was all these strange people looking at me as I was fluttering my eyes open. They just stared in amazement. No one said a word. But I could hear a lot going on in my head. I was confused. I tried to sit up but the people held me down. The only message I could understand was a voice telling me to just lay down and wait for help to arrive.

I tried to turn my head from side to side to see where I was but the strangers standing around me blocked my view. And the pain in my neck was intense. So I just laid there looking upward into nothing. The strangers seem to be fading away. I felt like I was floating. Almost as if I was on a calm lake. I could feel the small ripples move under my body. I was moving. But to where I don’t know. All I knew was that I was content and happy. I smiled and closed my eyes and floated away.

The phone rang and it startled me. My eyes opened wide. I felt like I fell twenty feet smack into my office chair. I looked around. I was home. I was in my office. I still felt disoriented. I felt like I was torn away from someone or someplace. The phone was still ringing. I answered it. It was a reminder of an upcoming doctor’s appointment. I was angry and hung up on the pre recorded message.

What just happened? Was it a dream? I tried to recall all the details. I took some paper and jotted down some notes but my memory faded faster than I could write. All I could remember was floating on a lake and voices whispering in my head. I couldn’t remember what they said. All I remembered was that I was happy. Happy beyond any happiness I encountered in my lifetime.

And I wanted to go back. I really wanted to go back.

I decided to go for a walk. The cool fall air felt good. And the sunshine warmed my soul. I do love a nice autumn day. The leaves were changing color. The bright red maple leaves provided an amazing contrast to the drabness of some of the houses on the block. I kept walking. I tried to imagine the interior of each house I walked past. I know that sounds weird. I have talked with several of my neighbors and just said hi in passing to a few others as they were walking their dogs. From their personalities or just a gut feeling I had, I visualized what their homes looked like. Why was I thinking like this? I don’t know. Maybe I was justifying the way my house looked. Why would I have to justify that? My house is my house and the way I want it to look is nobody’s business but mine.

Wait what has this got to do with my experience? What has this got to do with my dream? Where was I and who were all those people looking at me? I stopped at the corner. I looked in both directions before crossing the street. I felt the breeze on my face and looked up at the sky and smiled.

It was the knock out punch that did it. The next thing I remembered was all these strange people looking at me as I was fluttering my eyes open. They just stared in amazement. No one said a word. But I could hear a lot going on in my head. I was confused. I tried to sit up but the people held me down. The only message I could understand was a voice telling me to just lay down and wait for help to arrive.

Then I heard the siren. I didn’t see the ambulance, but I did recognize the paramedics. I couldn’t move. I was on a backboard. I tried talking but was told to be quiet and that everything was all right. So I just laid there looking upward. The strangers seem to be fading away. I felt like I was floating. Almost as if I was on a calm lake. I could feel the small ripples move under my body. The ambulance door closed and I was headed to the emergency room. The next thing I remembered was waking up to the sound of a phone ringing.

To be continued…