We are on vacation.
I am walking our dogs:

• Qhuinn the “red” cocker-spaniel (grumpy)
• Frolic the chocolate lab (friendly)

I am startled by a noise behind me.
I turn quickly to see another dog barking loudly at us.
But the owner has it under control.

I turn back.
Only to realize I had dropped the leash.
I spy Frolic several yards ahead, calmly sniffing the grass.
But where’s Qhuinn?

I look across the street to a large park.
I see a dog that looks like Qhuinn, but his back is all black.
Did he roll in the mud?
No, that one’s too large.
Then I see Qhuinn, further away, running around.

By the time I get back to our vacation house, I realize it is 8:40am.
I start to panic.
I was supposed to book us on Guardians of the Galaxy at 7am.
I wonder if it is too late.

I start hunting through the house for my phone.
I also wonder where everybody is.
Don’t they care?
Have they forgotten what’s going on?

Nothing seems to make sense.
That’s when it hits me.
Maybe this is a dream.
Maybe in the real world, it is not too late.

I lie down and close my eyes.
I will myself back to reality.
I hear my 6:55 alarm going off.

It occurs to me that maybe this is a metaphor for my life.
It’s been a challenging eight years since I quit my job at Apple to become an entrepreneur.
I often feel lost and alone, like nobody remembers what we are supposed to be doing.
But things are starting to come together.
I am learning how my own vision of reality is distorted.
I just need to wake up.

I wake up.
I am back in our hotel room in Orlando.
I scramble to find my watch.
5:59am.
I double check it.
Yup. 5. Not 6.

My alarm has not gone off.
I forced myself awake — an hour early.