Nightmares don't Predict our Futures

Last night I had a most unusual nightmare that included fictious characters like werewolves, witches, and haunted houses. But when I awoke, I knew those dreams were not true. However, there have been times when the nightmares are more realistic, and sometimes, they don't always happen when I'm asleep.

In Karen Witemeyer's book Full Steam Ahead, Darius Thorton has one nightmare of an event that haunts him for years. When traumatic events happen, sometimes we take that as a sign of our future. We think that because of "this" or "that" effects our futures and we become consumed with outrunning our haunted pasts by remaining isolated, bound by what we believe is holding us back. 

Break free from the nightmares. They do not define you and don't let them claim your futures!

Not in my Wheelhouse!

We've all used the phrase, "That's out of my comfort zone", but how many of you have heard the original phrase - "That's not in my wheelhouse!" I never thought about what a "wheelhouse" was before, but figured that it was some form of a shelter.

Two weeks ago, I finished reading A Captain for Laura Rose by Stephanie Grace Whitson. I had another post already written, but then this morning, the phrase "not in my wheelhouse" hit me! A wheelhouse is the uppermost part of a steamboat, and a quick Google search verified that wheelhouses are protective shelters with huge windows on at least 3 sides to provide access to surveillance. In Laura Rose, Laura felt the safest and most like herself when she was piloting the Laura Rose - when she was "in her wheelhouse." So a wheelhouse is where we feel the most comfortable; it may be an actual location, a state of mind, the people we are around, whatever makes you happy.

However, we cannot remain in our "wheelhouses" forever. There are times when we need to leave. We need to experience new situations, uncomfortable as they may be. It is from these moments when we grow out of our comfort zone, our wheelhouses grow a little too.

If we remain in our wheelhouses too long, we can be exposed to the elements around us. Imagine, the wheelhouse is in the uppermost part of the ship, surrounded by glass windows. It provides shelter, but it can also be the most exposing spot on the entire steamboat. Within the confines of the wheelhouse, the captain is always on guard, scanning, guiding, directing. It must be exhausting work!

So a wheelhouse can be both a shelter and agent for stress. When the comfort becomes too suffocating, it is time to leave. But wheelhouses need captains - thus, it is not a lonely venture. Bring along those support and care for you. Then, your wheelhouse will become a place of comfort and rest.