Do the People in Our Dreams Need to Wear Masks?

 When "New" came to me to be the word I live with this year, I was excited.  As the year has begun I am getting a little anxious.  

We usually think of new as something that is fresh and exciting.  I knew when I was given the word, that it was the noun not the adjective.  I knew that it was "the new" that comes from something- not the shiny, beautiful new ........ but I still anticipated something fun coming in to view.

And then 3 sheep died. Now, coming from that, we have "the new" configuration of the flock with a new leader needed.

Last night I had a concerning dream. 

I am one of those people that dream in great detail.  Usually, silly story dreams or enlightening dreams but sometimes exhausting dreams where I am trying to get somewhere or accomplish something.  Often, there are many people in my dreams.  If one was making a short film from one of my dreams they would have to hire a lot of extras.  My dream last night was filled with people in large numbers and at one point I became aware that no one was wearing a mask.  I remember putting my hand up over my face.  Do the people in our dreams now have to wear masks?  It has now been a year with Covid 19 and coming from that, is "the new" that we get anxious if the dream people around us are not wearing masks?  

I don't mind wearing a mask in day life.  What I find hard to live with is not being able to give and receive a multitude of hugs on a daily basis.  I felt that those hugs were what kept me healthy. At least I can still hug John but I haven't even hugged my daughter's boyfriend and they have now been together a year.  They started dating just before the pandemic but by the time we met him, strict guidelines were in place.

 People who live alone used to have plenty of hugs from neighbors or friends in the grocery store or on the street.  What will keep them healthy in "the new" that comes from health guidelines?

I find it refreshing watching old movies where people are not wearing masks and still hugging.  What can I do to make sure the people in my dreams can still live the life of CLOSENESS so that when things calm down we can resume that in day life?

I am still optimistic that there will be "new"s that come from better things.

"The New"

 The word I am carrying with me this year is "NEW".  As usual, I did not search for it, it came to me.

(For an explanation of "word for the year" go to January blogs from last year.)

It is the noun NEW not the adjective.  It is the new that comes from something. 

 Amelia, Mira, and Charlotte (the 3 sheep furthest to the right in the above picture taken last year) died late December and the first half of January.  I posted about Amelia a couple of posts ago.  Mira died late January 11th or early the 12th.  Charlotte died exactly a week later.  

Most likely they died from the Meningeal worm (a brain/spinal column affliction), though they all had different symptoms.  This worm uses the white tailed deer as a host and is expelled when the deer poops.  Then a snail or slug come along and eats the worm and travels along.  If sheep are grazing in the area where deer have been, they can eat the snail or slug or even get the worm from excreted snail slime.  I had been letting the sheep graze outside the pasture because there was so much grass outside and the pastures had been heavily grazed.  We do have a regular occurrence of deer in the yard but I guess I took a chance.  When you do something and nothing happens for 10 years, you think it won't happen.  And the sheep loved to go out.

Mira was the matriarch of the flock.  Even when she was struggling the past year with arthritis,  and not leading in a robust way, she was the gentle boss.  The other sheep respected her at all times.  I had longer conversations with Mira than any of the other sheep.  She liked attention (most of the time) and even occasionally opted for rubs over hay.

Speaking of attention, Charlotte came looking for attention regularly and loved rubs.  If I was giving out grain, I knew not to have Charlotte behind me because she would paw my pant leg to get my attention.  She thought her turn was between each of the others.  Charlotte would have taken over leading the flock if she were still alive, I think.

Amelia, Mira, and Charlotte were the 3 Cotswolds in the flock.  They are survived by Norma Jean and Gretta (Cotswold/CVM crosses) and of course the rest of the flock of Finns and Finn crosses.

So, who are we without them?  I don't think we have figured out "the New".