I had an interesting dream that was very real. It was about a street person whom my husband took home fed and clothed because he had no money and was very dirty. The man was in a plaid shirt, had long hair, and a very long beard. The next day I was at work, told my dream to a couple girl friends and 1 hour later a man exactly like in my dream - with a plaid flannel shirt, long hair, beard and very dirty - came in and sat down. The owner of our hair Salon asked if she could help him and he said no, he was just going to sit there. He sat there with a crumpled up paper as if he was reading it and started laughing. We finally asked him to leave but it left me with my stomach in knots and the hair standing up on my arms. Any explanation for this?

--Cindy, Age 44, Des Moines, IA, USA

Hi Cindy -

What a fabulous dream! I think your intuitive abilities were really at work.

Your dream and the following day’s events are like an other-worldly poetry that was played out before you, your husband, and your co-workers. The whole experience really is extraordinary. Right after you tell your co-workers your dream, in walks your homeless man. And he is dressed and groomed just like you saw in the dream. I only wish your husband, at the same time, had stopped by and completed the dream, by taking him home and giving him a bath, and some new clothes.

I’m not sure what the message of your dream is for you. And I am aware that the problems of the homeless are far more entrenched than can be cured by a shower, shave, and new clothes. You wrote that the dream left your “stomach in knots.” Did you feel compelled to help the man, and were upset that you didn’t? Or was it because you felt like you’d seen a ghost?

In any event, I do know that there are many simple things we can all do to help the homeless. The first of which is to support our local shelters. As we go through our closets and do our cleaning, we should fill a bag with old towels and sheets and blankets and pillows and linens that we no longer use. Someone else will really appreciate them. The same thing is true with weeding out the clothes closet. We may be tired of those old clothes that we never wear, but someone else will be thrilled to have them. Old cans of food in the pantry that we aren’t going to use? Same thing. The stuff in the garage that just seems to keep stacking up? We’d be surprised how valuable those items may prove to someone else.

Let’s not forget the difference in spirit that a clean shower, clean clothes, good meal, and decent night’s sleep makes. Without these basics, any of us would begin to feel inadequate.

(By the way, in the USA these contributions to homeless shelters are tax deductible. Giving your second-hand and un-used items to people who need them can earn you thousands of dollars in deductions on next year’s tax returns. And, it’s the right thing to do).