Tyler Schardt: The Conference

The mattress is warm, comfortable, and soft.  Smooth in every way, a perfect den enveloping your body.  Inky black conceals the room’s features.  The blinds cut out all light from the outside making 4:00AM look just like 10:00AM, just like a hotel room.  You could sleep all day.  Your body screams for rest, it’s sore, it’s cracked, and it’s tight. Limbs sink like lead into the sheets, heavy with slumber.  Your mind rests, fatigued from yesterday’s focus.  Reason has yet to come alive, but your dreams run wild.

You’re on your game, shooting great, winning the World Championships, setting world records, and standing atop the Olympic Podium.  The crowd cheers raucously, half to distract, half to encourage.  Whistles blast rhythmically to direct chaos, bright flags wave to and fro, and voices loose themselves in the moment.   You’re scared, but loving every minute of it.  You’ve felt the pressure’s rush before and it’s why you keep coming back.  Life is awesome, all the pain heals, and all the toil pays off, years of preparation, all for one day.  Here it is: your goal, your dream.

Suddenly it stops, and you’re left in a bed.

Finally Reason stirs and says, “You have a chance to actually do that.  You dream it every night and you can live it today, if you get up…  Go ahead.”

Your mind begins to wander around the room.  It stumbles across a lumpy pillow, sagging mattress, and chilled blankets.  “See where you are?  See how it was better when you slept?  Go to sleep again and get there now.” it says to your body.

Lastly your body squirms about between the cool sheets, testing its strength.  “The pains are gone!  I am strong again!  Let me move mountains!  Put me to use and I shall create the dream!”

“It’s better to dare greatness than to stay in the twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat,” Reason chides.

“Yup, I agree!” your mind chips in, “Whatever gets us out of this clammy bed.”

Finally with all parts in agreement, you rise and live the dream.