Last night I dreamt my mother gave me a toolkit when I was still in her womb.
In the dream I am me as I am today and also me floating in amniotic fluid and cigarette smoke 78 years ago. One by one, Mom inserts little tools into her bellybutton.
"Here are the tools you'll need," she says, rubbing her round belly.
I hear her voice from inside and outside, then and now, echoing down the years and through my veins.
