DREAMS VS HALLUCINATION

I have spent many a days of my life in hospitals.

Whether it was a childhood cancer patient,

a healthcare worker, a sitter, taking care of my parents, etc.

So it is easy to be said, I have no fear of hospitals or the

things that happen in those facilities. There is one thing I do know,

you do not sleep lots in a hospital and I am okay with that.

You are there for their expertise, for what they can do to get you

well. One thing that did change for me with this hospital stay

was the all encompassing HALLUCINATORY DREAM.

It has continued to stay as vivid and as haunting to me as the morning

I had it and this blog is to get over it as well as talking of one of

my newest and dearest friends, Jerri.

Because I am now an artist, painting home portraits of people's 

prized homes, I have made sooo many new friends.

Some are seasoned friends, close as I paint for them,

and we move on, others, put their name down as soon as I complete

another and others just become life long friends.

My dear Jerri is a new life long friend.

When we first met through a big order we texted lots,

learned so much of the other, did life learning and then

came the day that she made the trek to Plaquemine to get her paintings

and have coffee with me.

If we ever thought we would not remain friends before then, after

that meeting we KNEW it was forever!

She was one of my text life lines as I fought Covid.

So it is fitting, although unusual that in this hallucinatory dream

she was the one who came to me, she was my savior.

So let me set up the scenario.

(jerri and I)

I had been in hospital for three days and nights

and was having lots of trouble sleeping/ getting comfortable,

just not good days or nights even though I was getting 

better daily. My night nurse, who I now

remember her beautiful name, AMBERLIE

 came in and agreed I had to get in some

sleep so she took care of my fever, set me up an iv of phenergan

and hoped I could get a little sleep.

It must have been about 430am when i finally fell asleep....

but i would not call it a fitful sleep. It was short lived

but seemed like hours.

I would have bet I was awake.

I sit up from sleep

 and I am in my cottage, I am in my own bedroom

with the beautiful new comforter Boo got me for Christmas.

I sit up and I am terrified as to not knowing how long I

had been asleep and my cats were in my bed, knawing

at each wrist and a snapper turtle attached to another part of

my arm. I can only explain the cats as being like they

had died and come back from Stephen King's Pet Cemetery.

They were fighting for food, so hungry that I guess

I became their main course. As I am trying to get these cats off

myself Jesi walks in excitedly, "Mom you made it, your alive"

I, not knowing what is going on am fussing her.

"Why did you let your turtle in my bed,Why have you not

fed my cats? Jesi get them off, they eating me alive!"

Then she explains that I have had Covid pneumonia and

I went to sleep but then they had a hurricane and a flood and

Mom, we could not get to you! She is crying and so happy

and yet I have cats and a turtle still hanging on to my arms.

mind you, I had Iv's in both arms so I am sure that had something

to do with it feeling like something was biting me.

I look outside my bedroom window to sunshine but debris everywhere,

water everywhere, starving animals everywhere.

Jesi leaves to go find food to get the cats and turtle off my arm

and there in the very very far distance I see someone walking 

tiredly but fast to my Cottage,

Who in the world could that be? There is no car that can pass

she is on foot holding plastic dollar store flowers in all colors

in her hands. "Lilly! Oh my Lilly!"

As she gets closer it is my dear, special friend, Jeri LeClaire!

"I have been trying to get to you, you were not answering my texts,

I didn't know if you had made it, I know I come every month

to stay with you but I just could not get here. I just walked

5 miles but I am here my friend I will take care of you!"

And she does.....

She puts her plastic dollar store flowers right in the flower bed

by my window. As she has gotten closer the water is residing,

almost like she is parting the floods, I cry at the site of my

dear friends beautiful face, I am crying now.

I do not know where my Jesi went, but the snapping turtle was off

my arm and Jerri comes in with fresh cat food, litter and gets

those darn cats off my wrists.

and we hug, we hug so tight. It's a dream we didn't need masks.

The dream about ends there.... she was my salvation.

I have been trying to write this blog for sometime now because

I don't want to lie, I got home and was terrified of my cats.

They were fighting a lot, had taken over my bed Oliver had taken to using the bathroom wherever he 

saw fit even though either Rod or KD came check on them daily, fed them,

cleaned their litter. IF you leave animals alone for too long they do become

a little Pet Cemetery crazy. 

We are getting better the cats and I.

Bonnie, my cat given to me by the boo and his family after his

Mom passed away unexpectedly has become once again a source of

comfort to me. She leaves me be during the day and once I am in bed

she comes curl up with and purrs her sweet nothings.

If Oliver is not around we are okay.

Oliver is slowly realizing I am the boss here again.

My fear of them is getting better as I realize every day it was 

just a hallucinatory dream.

One thing is for sure and always will be,

Jerri and I willl forever be bonded as friends for life.

Thank you my dear friend, for all you didn't even

know you did! Can't wait to see you soon!

Love you!