I'm a dreamer.

The message on the screen said, "I can't stand without you here," but the image in my head was a vast contradiction. I saw a man--standing--on the edge of the ocean, bare feet digging into the sand. His blue jeans were dirty, and his plaid shirt had one button undone. His eyes were murky, and his smile was warm. In the simplest of words, he was happy. I watched from behind as the sun set behind the water, and he became nothing more than a silhouette--a shadow of what used to be.

Message two: "I can't see the countries for all the space." Incoherent--and maybe it means nothing. Or maybe it means that he never left his spot on the edge. Maybe it means that he's still staring at the water, his back to the reasons why he left--the reasons he can stand, and can't lie.

It was almost a sad message, but I haven't heard from him in awhile, so saddness never even crossed my mind.

The rest of my dream didn't make much sense. I opened the window and watched as people used helium balloons as elevators. My husband was a professional soccer player, and I knew how to swim like a fish. But when I woke up this morning none of that mattered. When I woke up, the very first thought that entered my head--before breakfast, the bathroom, the dog, or the list of things I had to do--my very first thought was, "I can't stand without you here."