CLICKETY-CLACK, CLICKETY-CLACK, CLICKETY-CLACK. My fingers tap away with a mind of their own as my own mind battles to stay above the afternoon onset of dullness and numbness. But it is now evening, which means the viscous sensations have deepened. It is like this every day, every week, every month. CLICKETY-CLACK, CLICKETY-CLACK, CLICKETY-CLACK. I can’t fight them any longer. I must break, and as I stand to stretch away the stiffness in my tired back and neck and to clear my mind, I notice something outside the row of panels of windows across the aisle.
In the distance is a perfectly shaped, perfectly symmetrical purple, snow-capped mountain. A gentle stream flows from just beneath the windows’ view and snakes a path across a wildflower covered valley of yellow and red to a vanishing point just below the base of the mountain. Streaks of the fluffiest cloud emanate from just above the mountain peak and fill the sky, putting on a colorful light show as they bounce around the sunlight. Everything was bathe in the warmest, soothing light imaginable.
I know what I had to do! Instinctively I reach underneath my desk for my bag which carries my Canon 5D Mark II mounted with an EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens. With my other hand I grab my trustworthy carbon fiber tripod. I dash down the aisle adjacent to the row of windows toward the exit sign which leads down a flight of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs starts another aisle adjacent to another row of windows. I run down this aisle toward another exit sign at the other end. I look out the window as I run to make sure IT was still there. And IT was. I hasten my pace. I reach the exit sign and it leads to another flight of stairs. At the bottom was another aisle adjacent to a row of windows. My mind blurs further. I can’t remember any more how many flights of stairs would lead me outside the office building. I look out the windows to check and IT is still there. I continue. Desperation sets in. More stairs and more aisles. But IT is still there. I just can’t get to IT. How can I get to IT?
I woke up with my heart beating rapidly. The imagery stuck with me vividly, and the vision of my immediate future became crystal clear. My dream told me the answer to what I had to do. I left my job, a job I had for 21 years. A year later I delivered ScapeTog, a creation entirely my own, a creation I did for myself. It took a lot of effort to learn a new skill, to do something different, but the challenge was totally enjoyable and rewarding, the sense of accomplishment invaluable. I think I finally got to IT.
-Raymond
2012
Five Bats Software 