Lately I keep dreaming of girl babies. In the first dream, my daughter was a tiny child, and she was upset and crying. Most of the dream was about trying to find out what was wrong, and to soothe her. (I called my daughter the next day, just in case, and she’s fine).

In the next dream, I was taking care of a fussy baby (I don’t think she was mine), and in order to get her to sleep, I fell asleep with her. I woke up (within the dream) to discover that the baby was gone!

I was very upset, and kept finding random kittens curled up in the blankets as I searched – but no baby.

In the third dream, I was once again taking care of someone’s baby, trying to get her to calm down. I was in a conference or retreat setting, and we were trying to get the baby to settle before our next group meeting. I was confident that I could help. I did all the usual things one does – rocking, singing, feeding, checking the diaper – but to no avail. Toward the end of the dream, another woman offered to try, so I handed the baby off to her.

Between the dreams, I’ve been trying to figure out what they might mean. I came up with a few ideas, but since the theme has continued, I’m not sure any of them fit just right.

I even looked up the topic in a dream dictionary, which I normally avoid as too generic. The suggestions I received there were things like not wanting people to see my vulnerability or weaknesses, a reminder to reconnect with a forgotten aspect of myself, and hearing from a part of my psyche that feels deprived of attention.

My own ponderings include the baby being my relatively new book midwife business, which I’ve been quite focused on this year. It could be one of my books – I have a few in the beginning stages. Or perhaps it’s my new status as a Mom with adult kids who have grown up and flown the nest.

After talking about it with a wise friend, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not just one aspect of my life that’s showing up as a baby in my dreams. My mantra all summer has been “ease and connection.” In other words, no matter what I’m doing, my intention is to approach it with these qualities.

It’s one of those things that sounds simple, but takes a bit of practice to actually do.

Now I’m thinking that maybe my Younger Self, the baby in my dreams, is reacting to this new facet of my inner work.

She’s showing me the places in my psyche where I’m not yet at ease, the ones (like the dream dictionary suggested) that need more attention.

As much as we like to divide up the areas of our lives into work, family, self-care, and so on, it’s really all US. It’s all one thing.

Your life is your ultimate creation, a work of art that you’re always crafting. As we learn and grow, we continue to refine our creation. Our dreams, intuitions, and the clues life leaves in our path can help us to see the big picture, when we pay attention to them.

I’m listening, baby girl. I’ve got your back.