I’ve had the entire cast of Seinfeld in my dreams…
…including, to my chagrin, George Costanza…
The loser to end all losers!
Whether I like it or not, if he’s in my dreams, some part of him must represent some a part of me…
So what do I share with that sniveling, lazy, self-centered, fearful sycophant?
Please don’t answer…
Well, I do see one trait in common:
We want everything to be just right.
Perfect.
George celebrates the perfect parking space at the hospital. He tries to combine sex, food, and TV for the perfect experience. We know how these attempts will end: in disaster.
When he finds the perfect girlfriend, the perfection makes him so nervous that he destroys the relationship…
If you’re trying to maintain a state of perfection, of course you’re going to worry! The perfect situation can not remain perfect. Change is the nature of this world. The parking space is perfect now, but in the next moment, someone could fall on your car…
So I’ve listened to these Costanza dreams…I’ve tried to become aware of my inner George, and make changes.
When I go to my favorite coffee place, I still like to sit at certain table…where the light is right and the view is optimal…
…but if a woman with a cell phone and two screaming kids crashes the table next to me, I try not to let it ruin my morning.
Maybe instead of trying to create the perfect scenario, I should try to find perfection in any situation. Isn’t perfection all in the mind? Isn’t perfection a point-of-view?
In one recent dream, I find perfection in a ordinary environment, because mentally, I’m in a state of peace…
…until doubt and worry rise their ugly heads (see previous post)…
Perhaps I could’ve accepted that doubt and worry as part of the perfection.
In any case, George hasn’t appeared in any recent dreams, so perhaps I’m no longer hung up on getting everything just right. Maybe I’ve become more accepting. Maybe I’ve altered my perspective, if only a little.
As for those other aspects of Costanza…
If I do still have a bit of that not-so-lovable loser in me…
…at least now I’m on the watch for him.
© 2013, Michael R. Patton
searching for the new mythology
Michael Patton
Reblogged this on happyheuristics and commented:
This post is a lesson on one great way to go about getting some insight from one’s dreams. George Costanza, fool extraordinaire, I wish he came in my dreams. If you want to become a a philosopher you’ll get a PhD with Seinfeld : all the characters are obnoxious and …bigger than life .
After a session of Seinfeld (as often as possible), I can say with Somerset Maugham
“It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything
but the best, you very often get it.”
Happy Heuristics