is it empty?

In the explorations of "empty" we've been doing this week at daily headspa, we've been putting empty up there as a good thing. Empty space between structures - good thing called "Ma" in Japanese. Empty space that helps you appreciate what is there when you put it back.

And I've been reading Eckhart Tolle's book "New Earth" during this week, which is all about emptying the ego and being present to the Power of Now (not incidentally the title of his other book, the one that Oprah really loves...because Oprah loves him you've probably heard lots about him but I provide the link anyway)

And (as if my brain was full enough on empty), I've been continuing to think and dream about a readers' retreat that we'll run sometime in the future.

So it all adds up to this living question: what makes this dream not an empty dream? (because an empty dream is not a positive thing in my mind)

To me, what makes this not an empty dream is what it is doing for me in the present moment, on two levels.
1. even if that particular dream in the future never becomes the now, the growing and knowing of it now is a real thing, and fulfilling
2. dreaming, and some of the anxiety it provokes (will it ever happen? am I smart enough to "make" it happen? what does the future hold for me anyway?), is an opportunity for present moment awareness if I realize what I'm doing. Awareness is the key to presence

So I'm going to bed now to dream full dreams...