Dream
Credit: Simona Rosenfield
Story told by Joe McGregor
Before I turned 81 in July, I was talking to myself, “What am I gonna do now?”
And I had a dream about this. The man told me that I’m 80, but now I’m gonna go back, because there’s a limit. I’m dreaming now, but I see him. And he told me that there’s a certain time when our growth will stop. And sometimes it’s hard to swallow because you don’t want to get old. It’s tougher than we think sometimes.
In this dream, he was another man, and he told me about my age. He said, “Now, you’re like in a box. A thin box. Square box.”
“Now you’re gonna start to go backward, to the childhood, and you’re gonna go right back to your birth, back to a child,” he said.
So that’s why we get old. Now, I’m gonna start going back to childhood.
Some men and women will grow to 100. Rare.
In the old days, there were a lot of people that were 100 years old. I don’t know if it was the air around them at that time, or it was the food that they ate. Some of them were quite strong.
Atetshénhtshera’
Joe McGregor roká:raton
Ohén:ton 81 shiwatierí:ton ne Ohiarihkó:wa, katahtharaníhahkwe’, “Oh nentié:re’ ó:nen?” Ok ne kí:ken onkwatétshen’. Rón:kwe wahakhró:ri’ tsi sha’té:kon niwáhsen nitewátien, ok ó:nen enskáhkete’ ase’kén kwató:ken’k niió:re nienhén:ke’. Wakatshèn:’en ó:nen, nek tsi rí:kens. Tánon’ wahakhró:ri’ tsi kwató:ken’k nikahá:wi’ tenká:ta’ne’ tsi ionkwatehiahróntie’. Nok sewatié:rens wentó:re ahserihwaié:na’ nahò:ten’ ensathón:te’ne’ né: tsi iah téhsehre’ aiesakstén:ha’ne’. Sénha iohní:ron tsi ní:ioht tsi iákwehre’ sewatié:rens.
Tsi wakatshèn:’en, thihaià:tate nè:’e, tánon’ wahakhró:ri’ tsi nitewátien. Wahèn:ron’ “Ó:nen, tsi iá:we ní:ioht o’neróhkwakon tsà:ti. Ken’ nika’nerohkwaténsha. Teiote’nerohkwakerón:te.”
“Ó:nen entahsatáhsawen’ ohnà:ken iénhsehte’ oksa’tó:kon nenhsatié:ra’te’, tánon’ khéh ensehsáhkete’ tsi sanakerá:ton, ensehseksà:ta’ne’,” wahèn:ron’.
Né: ká:ti’ tiorì:wa tionkwaié:ta’s. Ó:nen, enskáhkete’ enskeksà:ta’ne’.
Ótia’ke ronnón:kwe tánon’ konnón:kwe 100 nenthotiién:ta’ne’. Ietsó:rek nè:’e.
Wahón:nise’, é:so iá:kon 100 nitiakoién:tahkwe’. Iah tewakaterièn:tare tóka’ ken tsi nikawerò:ten’ tehonahkwatasé:tonhkwe’ ne tho shiká:wi’, tóka’ ni’ ken tsi nikakhò:ten’s rón:nekskwe’. Ótia’ke kwah í:ken tsi rati’shátstehkwe’.
Translation by Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette