FEBRUARY 17, 2017

There is something in the energy of the Nevada deserts that’s hard to pinpoint. There is a mystical sense of permanent impermanence, and an playground for the spiritually adventurous to explore; I fell in love with the land and the vibe immediately. My family and I were relocating to Tucson, AZ from the PNW and landed in Ely at sundown for a meal and a night off the road. Ely is an old stagecoach stop along the old Pony Express. In the early 1900’s, Cooper was discovered nearby and it turned to a mining town. It lives now as stop for travelers, like myself, or for those who desire small-town Casinos. I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that the town had been waiting for me. That night, I had a lucid dream of an old army buddy. It was pleasant dream where we took some time to catch-up. But what was unusual was the fact he was wearing corporal stripes on his sleeve, a rank he hadn’t worn in probably 15 years. And he was wearing a Vietnam era olive drab uniform. Which was unusual, and we spent some time in the dream as to why he was wearing that. I woke in the morning with the dream not fresh in my headspace. I contemplated the dream as I went to make a cup of hotel coffee and was surprised to learn there wasn’t a coffee maker in my room or even a cup of coffee in the hotel. So I went across the street to gas station/convenience store to get a cup. And while pouring my cup of drip, in walks a man wearing an olive drab military uniform with corporal stripes on his sleeves. Needless to say, I was floored and blinked in disbelief. I had to get closer to the man to try to make some sense of it. He too was getting coffee and was sleepy looking. On his uniform he had a Nevada State Corrections patch on his shoulder, which gave me some satisfaction to know why he was wearing the uniform. But in the frequent reflection and search of why I dreamed of the uniform perplexes me. I don’t claim any prediction powers from that dream. It was almost as if the governing spirits of Ely was saying, “I see you see me, and I want you to know I see you”.

Submitted by Phil