"All the world's a stage . . ." ~ Shakespeare

"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; 

They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts."

~Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII

Not sure if I've really shared this much, but I work at night. Sure, I have a day job as a teacher--which I absolutely love--but I do some of my most important work at night, during the dreamtime.

Some call it Astral Travel, Karmic Cleansing, Aboriginal Dreamtime, even Lightwork. Call it what you may, my nightlife is pretty intense. In my twenties, I used to wake up around 1:00 A.M. almost nightly, but I didn't really pay attention or know how important it could have been back then.

In the past few years, my "time" has changed to 3:33 A.M. I do some of my most meaningful work when I am lucid dreaming between the hours of 3:33 and 5:33 (when I get up to go teach my amazing 8th graders). Sometimes I awaken and I'm pretty exhausted.

Anyway, last night I had a really amazing dream . . . about acting. I've always wanted to act, but never went for it or pursued it; I think I just didn't have the type of confidence it would have taken--until later in life, after getting a "real" job, after kids, after life just happened. Here's my dream:

I was on the set of a movie with teen actors--kind of like what you would see on High School Musical. I wasn't actually in the movie, but I was also a teenager, watching them film it on the sidelines, experiencing vicariously as the actors took their places and encountered many takes for each scene. Each kid had a signature character that seemed hip and talented. They sang and danced under the lights as the director guided them through the storyline. I tried to hide myself from view under the set, so nobody would know I was watching. I didn't want to get in trouble or get kicked off the set. 

When the actors were done for the day, they all went to a sort-of dormitory place, where they hung around, ate, and chilled. There weren't really any parents around; they were something like adult chaperones. I walked into this dorm-like place--I knew I wasn't supposed to be there--so I asked one of the chaperones how to get off the set and back out. I was told to go around the corner of the brick building, and I went down the stairs and out the door, around to the left of the building to the other side.

When I got to the other side of the building, there was another movie set . . . 

As I walked out into the courtyard, a director began to yell out of a megaphone to me. I was confused, but then the male lead from the other movie set showed up, and I became an actor in the even BIGGER movie . . . and guess what it was about?

A male lead falling for a girl who had been watching him on the set of his film. I was actually the female lead actress. I was in the movie, after all. And I hadn't realized it. Life is funny . . . as we gain larger and larger perspective, we can realize that everyone is in the play, that there is a role for each person, and that our roles and characters can change on a momentary basis.

We don't think we have a part in the play, but we are, in fact, the lead actors in our own lives. And we all are players.

That's awesome.