Kelly Gifford

While eating my mint chocolate chip ice cream before bed a few nights ago, I began to ask myself who my being is. While pondering this question I dozed off and had a very odd dream, probably brought on by the large amount of ice cream I had just eaten. I was walking along beside both my parents in a field, just walking not talking at all. Then we came up to a bridge. The bridge looked worn and sort of rickety, as though many people had trodden upon it. I turned to my left and asked my dad, “Should we cross?” He replied, “Only you can Kelly. Your mother and I have already been across once and now it is your turn.”

Even in my dream I thought my dad sounded a little more like Gandalf the Grey than my actual dad. So I chuckled and said, “Uh okay. Enough deep talk lets go.” My mom stopped me and said the same thing as my dad. I was completely bewildered. I was about to set off on some broken up bridge that could probably collapse at any moment and all they could say to me is “it’s your turn?”

They said their goodbyes and left me there, not turning back to see if I had crossed onto the bridge yet. I stood at the foot of the bridge for a while going over the pros and cons of crossing. Finally I stepped onto the bridge and began my journey into the unknown.

After what seemed like years of hopping over holes in the bridge and trying to keep my balance I came up to a huge mirror. To my surprise I looked older. Not much older, probably about four years older. I touched the glass on the mirror and it shattered revealing a golden gateway whose arches read, “Whom you truly are lies within.”

Then I woke up.

The first thing I thought of after I jerked awake was that I have to stop eating ice cream before bed. As the day grew on, I realized the dream was a metaphor about me finding out who I truly am over my four years of college. The dream helped me recognize that I do not know my true being now because I have not experienced enough to know who I am. College will give me the experience I need to answer this question without hesitation. For now, being a little undecided of who I am is just fine with me.