By Sam Reyes
I once dreamed the unimaginable. Or is it dreamt? My notepad doesn’t give you green, squiggly “oopsie lines” afforded by the more tech-savvy computer types.
I digress.
My dream was a fight that many labor advocates had taken up, but few had ever leveraged it to the light of day. My dream was surreal, but it was a dream that I nevertheless advocated for for the better part of two decades.
This month the dream was realized. This month, I am the proud owner of a work hammock.
Before you seethe with jealousy, I will be quick to tell you that all dreams contain trace amounts of nightmare…
I found it at a yard sale – frame and all – for the nifty price of $6.00. Being just a block from the office, I drug that sucker clear down the street, all the while praying that it would fit inside inside my tiny work quarters.
Thankfully, it just squeezed in.
Excited, and in full view of my secretly envious co-worker, I lunged, butt-first towards my nirvana net.
The zen I was about to achieve did not last, as I overshot the center of the hammock, landing instead on the far edge.
Apparently, it is important to land dead center, as the full weight and momentum of my carcass sent me straight to the floor, my leg striking the support bar below.
I assured my co-workers that I was fine, but quietly remained on the floor for another 20 minutes, pushing the door closed with my foot so they could not see how hurt I was.
The work hammock and I have since made up, but just know that if you have a seemingly unobtainable dream, you have to be prepared to experience both highs and lows.