Minimalist Traveler: 2018

More than half my lifetime ago, probably during my childhood or teens, an adult - a woman - told me to always remember the “sparkle in my eyes”. A few months ago, this forgotten and archived memory suddenly resurfaced as a dream on one random weekday night.

In my dream, the woman passed me a mirror to look at my reflection. Then she asked me to close my eyes and think of something I liked, seeing someone I loved, or my favourite food. And as I was visualising and smiling, she asked me to open my eyes and look at my reflection.

My reflection was me, but yet it was different. There was a happy smile, hopeful expression, and a twinkle or sparkle in my eyes. She said: “Remember this sparkle in your eyes and don’t allow anything in life to extinguish it.”

She went on saying: “As you grow older, you will have more responsibilities, encounter negative situations, and face realities in life. These situations will dimmer the spark bit by bit, and one day, extinguish it before you even take notice.”

The younger Doris asked in my dream: “Then what should I do to keep this spark in eyes?”

The woman said: “Do the things you love, be a true friend to others, and try new things that makes you feel excited and scared at the same time.” And then, this segment of the dream ended, or at least that’s where my memory of the dream ended.

I cannot remember when this happened or who the woman was, but I am quite sure she was neither my mom nor my aunts. Maybe, it could have been my maternal great-grandma, as I remember her eyes were sparkling with life till she passed on in her sleep, 20 years ago, when she was in her mid-90s.

A few years ago, I heard about Burt Goldman, an American Monk, who claimed he can quantum jump to alternate universes through meditation. Perhaps, the woman in this dream, and what I recollected from my childhood, could have been Doris from the future?

After I woke up, this dream jolted another memory: “Don’t choose to do, or want, something your parents never had the chance to do, or own. Nor pursue it just because others had it, and you want it too. Choose it because that is something you really want to do, or have, even if no one else had or done it. You will know that is truly what you want because when you do, or have that, it feels right to you, even if no one else agrees.”

We can see others when their eyes sparkle, especially when they are talking about someone or something they love. But rarely, we can observe that sparkle in our own eyes, because our eyes are probably not all that sparkly when we are in the bathroom checking our reflection.

Ever since this strange dream, I have been reflecting on the existential, and somewhat philosophical, question “Is this it to life?”

These days, I intentionally observed the eyes of friends and strangers, adult and child, hoping to catch the spark when it occurs. This spark happens most often in babies who are fascinated with everything in life. It happens often in children who have hope for their future, but rarely in children/teens who have somewhat given up hope in their life. It occurs sporadically in adults, when they are sharing about the people they love and the things they enjoy doing, but rarely seen in office or work setting.

Perhaps, too many sci-fi movies, fantasy dramas and fictional stories are messing with my neuro-connections. Realistically, all I need is probably a break, or holiday, from the normalcy of life and responsibilities of an adult.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Everyone has different ways to regain the sparkle in their eyes. Personally, I blast the following songs, sing and dance in my room like how I did when I was a teenager. Life feels brighter, stress feels lighter and future always become more hopeful after 1-2 hours.

Try Everything by Shakira

I wanna try everything, I wanna try even though I could fail.

What Dreams Are Made Of by Hilary Duff

Yesterday my life was duller, now everything’s technicolour.

If You Can Dream by Disney Princesses

If you can dream, the wish we’re making, on a star is coming true.

Reflection from Mulan

Somehow I cannot hide, who I am, though I’ve tried.

Let It Go from Frozen
Let It Go in Chinese/Mandarin (随它吧)
It’s time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through.
我生命的选择, 别再找我, 过去已经离开我.

How Far I'll Go from Moana

See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me.

A Whole New World from Aladdin

A whole new world, a hundred thousand things to see.