My second son turned 30 yesterday. He is my “live in the moment” English major whose jobs post college have included driving a limousine and working at medical marijuana dispensaries in Florida and in Manhattan. He posted this today on another social media platform in celebration of his birthday, and I felt moved to share it here! Made me tear up!!🥲

”Thankful for 30 🙌🌟 I had a memory of 10 year-old me, sleepy and a little sick, on the morning school bus, leaning against the window and imagining for a brief moment what grown up Bridge Wilson would be/look like. I must’ve dozed off for a few minutes on the bus and I woke up in a dream, inside a busy office building, mid-convo with some guy I did not recognize (visibly) but I felt like I knew (spiritually); he must’ve been 30ish years old I guestimated but I still was 10 in the dream. Although he looked so much older, he acted like he was about my age.

I assumed the guy worked at this office because he was wearing a suit, but he didn’t seem overly serious like the other grown ups in the office. He and I seemed to be chatting and laughing about cartoons and video games for a while but then I got a feeling that office guy still had work to do and he was wasting time acting silly with me. I started to feel dream anxiety on his behalf, reminding me of those extremely important 4th grade homework assignments I completely forgot about until the teacher asked to turn them in— that momentary sinking feeling of being unprepared for class but then remembering that instead of doing homework the night before, my bros and I played basketball for hours and then watched a late night NFL game, followed by violent video games, junk food and a carefree lack of quality sleep. So much more fun than homework could ever be😂

I, in my clearly rational early morning bus-nap dream mind, wondered why seemingly everyone (besides the goofy chill guy) in the dream office building seemed stressed, worried, or as if they didn’t enjoy working. I asked chill office guy, telepatically rather than verbally, why he was just laughing and talking with me rather than moving fast and anxious like the other workers.

He replied, also telepathically, something along the lines of “Bridge don’t you see— I am you, reminding myself to stay in-tune with my inner child even as a grown up.”
In this dreamscape, for a moment, I didn’t believe or really understand what chill office guy told me because clearly this guy was not me, but he also seemed so confident and honest with what he told me. Before I could ask another question, he smiled at me and vanished.
I woke up on the school bus, drool on shirt, feeling like i lived a lifetime in a split second.

As I walked down the bus steps towards school, I whispered “thank you bro” to this future dream version of myself. I chose to always follow chill office guy’s advice because he seemed truly at peace despite his chaotic surroundings. In the days after having that dream, i tried to tell some friends about the dream but it was difficult to convince them that i had a convo with my 30 year old self… I figured I would leave it up to the universe and just be so thankful I had a transcendent experience at a young age.
No one else had to understand because it felt real to me. Even if that whole dream on the school bus was just a sleepy creation of my young imagination or subconscious, it shaped the way I lived my life thereafter. I knew I would eventually be that chill 30 year old version of myself and now i am 🥹🫂 it feels like giving myself a hug when I randomly remember that dream, because it helps me remember the importance of self-compassion, going with the flow, and being willing to make mistakes because the universe, God, and/or your higher self is always guiding you throughout the journey.

As adults it is our responsiblity to be productive at work and in society, get things done properly and timely, and make sure our family is taken care of and safe.
As inner-children, it is our responsibility to have fun, take risks, learn new things, and stretch our imagination. When we learn to effectively combine our wisdom from lived experience with our childlike curiosity for new life experiences, life gets easer and more fun (just ask chill office guy)!

Whenever I randomly feel too serious about life or even perhaps a bit melancholy, I like to remember the crazy time-traveling fever dream I had when I was 10 and how, at that age, I had no clue how good my life would be at age 30 (and beyond) simply by remaining whimsical, prioritizing happiness, and keeping my childlike wonder in my heart no matter how old I get.

There are so many things I’m grateful for and if you’re reading this you are one of them 🙌❤️

I love you and wanna say thank you to everyone for the bday wishes and to the people who make my life a dream come true!! You know who you are. Bridgey in his 30s is crazyyy! 🥸💯 do something kind today”