I have a strange habit. During the middle of the night, my body has the need to turn over in some sort of strange and dramatic way. It leaps then flips over.
This morning I realized I’m not much better than a fish out of water during the night. In one moment as my body is still, the need to use all the strength in my neck, arch my body with the exception of my feet, and toss myself over is there. I’m sure most people just casually roll over, but this weird sensation to launch myself into the air comes at least once a night.
I haven’t been able to pin it down to nightmares, dreams, or anything in particular. Perhaps I was once a fish…. or a bird.
It’s good exercise, but it can be somewhat distracting for the woman lying next to me. For when this action takes place and my body bounces to the bed, it sends an earthquake like ripple deserving of a good thud.
For some reason I woke after this comfortable flip, with the thought- CRAP, I’m like a fish! It never occurred to me before today and I had to write you about it.
When I write I take different characters. I can be a gangster, an upper class snob, a low life street urchin, a high fluttin flapper, a horse, a tree, whatever it might be. It’s an actors job really, assuming the position of whoever you are, even if that’s an inanimate object. Being something you’re not, being able to blend into your surroundings as that form.
There’s a song by Keller Williams & String Cheese Incident called “Best Feeling”. It’s all about feeling great and taking your imagination to new heights be imagining yourself as other life forms. In it they put themselves in an environment symbolic of the life form they were imitating. For example- a bird in a tree, a fish in a pond, etc. It’s really a fantastic song to check out. So last night I was a fish, and even when I sleep my imagination is busy searching. For what, I couldn’t tell you- maybe the next story, perhaps this blog, perhaps another perspective into a universal thinking. One things for sure- every breath is as valuable as water is to gills.
Steve
Funk Thunder