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Most of what we call nightmares are simply extreme reactions and fear that accompany uncomfortable dreams. Often we are awakened by a nightmare and there can be strong feelings of sadness, anger or guilt, but usually fear and anxiety.Nightmares may have several causes, including drugs, medications, illness, trauma or they may have no related cause and be spontaneous. Often they occur when there is stress in one’s waking life, and when major life changes are occurring.The Association for the Study of Dreams notes, “It really depends on the source of the nightmare. To rule out drugs, medications or illness as a cause, discussion with a physician is recommended. It is useful to encourage children to discuss their nightmares with their parents or other adults, but they generally do not need treatment. If a child is suffering from recurrent or very disturbing nightmares, the aid of therapist may be required. The therapist may have the child draw the nightmare, talk with the frightening characters, or fantasize changes in the nightmare, in order to help the child feel safer and less frightened.”Nightmares also offer the same opportunity that other dreams do, to investigate the symbols and imagery for life enhancement. In some American schools, children are taught coping mechanisms that allow the child to come into relationship with the dream monsters and fears in a novel. Researchers find that those who have “thin” personalities, or sensitive, receptive individuals, are more likely to have nightmare than “thick” personalities. They are teaching people to take control of their dreams and have the outcomes they wish rather than becoming the dream’s victim.

一位名叫薛瓦勒的鄉村郵差每天徙步奔走在鄉村之間。有一天，他在崎嶇的山路上被一塊石頭絆倒了。

他起身，拍拍身上的塵土，準備再走。可是他突然發現絆倒他的那塊石頭的樣子十分奇異。他拾起那塊石頭，左看右看，便有些愛不釋手了。

於是，他把那塊石頭放在了自己的郵包裏。村子裏的人看到他的郵包裏除了信之外，還有一塊沉重的石頭，感到很奇怪，人們好意地勸他：“把它扔了吧，你每天要走那麽多路，這可是個不小的負擔。”

他卻取出那塊石頭，炫耀著說：“你們誰見過這樣美麗的石頭？”

人們都笑了，說：“這樣的石頭山上到和都是，夠你撿一輩子的。”

他回家後疲憊地睡在床上，突然産生了一個念頭，如果用這樣美麗的石頭建造一座城堡那將會多麽迷人。於是，他每天在送信的途中尋找石頭，每天總是帶回一塊，不久，他便收集了一大堆奇形怪狀的石頭，但建造城堡還遠遠不夠。

於是，他開始推獨輪車送信，只要發現他中意的石頭都會往獨輪車上裝。

從此以後，他再也沒有過上一天安樂的日子，白天他是一個郵差和一個運送石頭的苦力，晚上他又是一人建築師，他按照自己天馬行空的思維來壘造自己的城堡。

對於他的行為，所有人都感到不可思議，認為他的精神出了問題。

20多年的時間裏，他不停地尋找石頭，運輸石頭，堆積石頭。在他的偏僻住處，出現了許多錯落有致的城堡。當地人都知道有這樣一個性格偏執沉默不語的郵差，在幹一些如同小孩子的築沙堡的遊戲。

有一天，一名法國記者偶然發現了這群低矮的城堡，這裏的風景和城堡令他歎為觀止。他為此寫了一篇介紹薛瓦勒的文章，文章刊出後，薛瓦勒迅速成為新聞人物。許多人都慕名而來參觀城堡。

如今，這個城堡成為法國最著名的風景旅遊點，它的名字就叫做“郵差薛瓦勒的理想宮殿”。在城堡的石塊上，薛瓦勒當年的許多刻痕還清晰可見，有一句話就刻在入口處的一塊石頭上：“我想知道一塊有了願望的石頭能走多遠。”據說，這就是那塊當年絆倒薛互讓勒的石頭。

When the great library of

The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”!

The Touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold. The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this; the real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.

So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles.

He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this, but none of the stones he examined was the Touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. He picked up a pebble. It was cold, so he threw it into the sea. He picked up another. He threw it into the sea.

The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along he still threw it away.

So it is with opportunity. Unless we are careful, it’s easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand, and it’s just as easy to throw it away.