DREAMS
This is going to be a fun page! Dreams are such mystical experiences, aren't they? They can be so much like life or they can be like life as we know it ... with a "twist." Sometimes you understand them and sometimes you don't, and sometimes you figure them out much later.
Dreams very often hold a deeper meaning and can be a pretty good indicator of where your "head" is at. They can make you happy, make you sad, or even scare you. And sometimes they're just downright hilarious. I've had dreams where I woke up so bewildered by the content that I said to myself, "Where the heck did that come from?" Whatever you believe about dreams, that's exactly what they'll be. Make sense? As for me, I enjoy them ... it's like going to the movies ... and who doesn't love a good movie!
So, here goes .... I'll share mine if you share yours!
DRUMS
I'm going to start right off with the most wonderful dream I ever had. I was in my eighth month of sobriety, about five years ago, when I had this one; and it really made an impact on me.
In the dream I came down through a cave that opened up into a large circular room. Along the earthen walls were Native American artifacts and candles in sconces, and there was a feeling of warmth and peace within the space. In the middle of the room was a large 4' wheel positioned horizontally on a pedestal about 4' high, like a round table. Around the outside of the wheel were eight dowels, each holding a beautiful white drum with pink etching and pink feathers. As I stood there wondering what the wheel and drums were for, there was a sudden flash of light, SO BRIGHT and SO INTENSE that I couldn't look upon it ... and I woke up.
When I woke, I was sitting straight up in bed, my eyes watering from the flash; and I was in a state of ABSOLUTE BLISS. It was as if God was hugging me, a divine embrace; and I felt a joy, peace, and love that is not of this world. After about a minute, when the feeling started to subside, I whispered, "No ... Stay ... Please don't go." I didn't want the feeling to end, and I was close to tears trying to hang on to it. I've experienced many moments of extreme happiness in my life, but nothing came close to that. IT WAS HOLY. To this day, I am certain that God blessed me with a spiritual "taste" of what is to come!
FLYING
Who hasn't dreamt about flying? It's probably the number one subject of dreams. I've had dreams where my flying was so strong and easy, and I could stay in the air forever; and then I've had dreams where I was struggling and had to come down quickly. Sounds a little like life, doesn't it?
Most of my flying dreams involve water. Sometimes I'm flying over calm water, and other times I'm over a turbulent river hoping I can maintain my altitude. I've even woken up with water in my ears!
What my flying dreams all have in common is that I can never get off the ground without help. I have to climb up a hill, get to a rooftop, or climb a ladder ... and then LUNGE. I just can't lift off from a standing position. On a couple of occasions I was being chased by bad guys and spent most of my dream trying to find the highest spot for takeoff!
What are your flying dreams?
WORK 1
It's no wonder we have dreams about work. We spend eight hours a day at our jobs, and sometimes another eight just decompressing from them. Some of us have jobs that we love, and some of us do not. Whatever your work, you've probably watched some version of it in living color during your sleep.
I've been in and out of the restaurant industry for most of my life, sometimes cooking in the back of house and other times running food out front. It was always a pace I enjoyed, along with the social element, and it was rewarding to provide enjoyment for others.
One of my dreams took place in a movie theater. People could order full-scale meals and watch the show from private cubby-holes throughout the room. The only problem was ... to get to those cubby-holes, you had to walk through narrow passages, like a maze.
I was waiting tables and carrying a big heavy tray on my right shoulder and a tray stand in my left hand. No problem, except it was pitch black in the theater. The only lights came from candles burning on the diners' tables, which were hidden around every corner.
I was looking for one table in particular and it was so hard to see. I was afraid I'd trip up or down the stairs before finding the right passageway. Or I'd bump my tray against the side of the passageway and knock the whole thing over. Slowly ... carefully ... in the dark I moved. When I finally made it to the table and set all the food down, it was no longer the right table, the right food, or the right customer. Back to the kitchen I'd go, get the food "refired," and go back out to wander aimlessly through the theatre again. Table numbers kept changing and people were never where they were supposed to be. I couldn't even get my first order delivered, and all the while the chef was yelling for me to pick up my next one. I was rushed and panicked ... in the dark. You get the picture. Everything was "garbled." When I woke up, my arms ached and there was sweat on my brow. It was a nightmare.
WORK 2
Anyone in the business will get a kick out of this story; but those who are from my hometown of Claremont, NH, will probably laugh a little bit louder.
In this dream I was, once again, waitressing. The restaurant kitchen was located in the City Hall right in the center of town. Our guests were being served in one of two facilities. The first was the Fiske Free Library and the other was the Trinity Episcopal Church, both of which were across the Broad Street roundabout. "Oh, geez," I thought. "I really hope I get the Church orders so I don't have to climb those stairs up to the library (about a dozen or so)!"
But as luck would have it, my first order went to the Library. With a heavy tray on my right shoulder and a tray stand in my left hand, I ran out the side door and down the steps of the City Hall, waited for traffic to pass, and scurried across Broad Street. Up the stairs I climbed to the library, still balancing a heavy tray, and into the facility, where I delivered the food, hopefully still hot, to our hungry guests. "Oh, miss, I'm sorry, could you please bring me some extra sour cream for my potato. I forgot to ask when I ordered." Are you kidding me? Out the door and down the stairs I went, across the Broad Street traffic, and back into the City Hall where I begrudgingly scooped out some sour cream to take back to the S.O.B. who forgot to ask for it. As I was leaving to bring it to him, the Chef said, "Wait ... take this order over to the Church on your way. And please present this bottle of wine with the meal." Now, wait a minute, which thing do I do first? Mr. Fancypants is just going to have to wait to slather this sour cream on his potato. But it's going to take me a good ten to fifteen minutes to serve the Church food, present and pour wine to four diners, climb the steps up to the library, and get it to him. He's not going to be happy!
And on and on it went ... running here, running there ... up and down the library steps, over to the Church, back to the City Hall, all the while catering to agitated and unreasonable guests. By the end of the dream, I was literally moving in slow motion. My legs felt heavy and the distances between the buildings seemed so much farther. It was a relief to wake up. Actually, this dream isn't too far removed from some real-life situations I've been in. I'm sure that quite a few people I know in the business can relate!
GOOD CATCH
This one is short and sweet!
During one of our phone calls, my tenant told me that he had been woken up during the night by his mother, and he was concerned that she might have hurt herself. What he explained to me was so funny that I just had to write about it.
His mom dreamt that she was playing centerfield for the Red Sox. A player from the other team hit a high pop fly, and it was traveling in her direction. She had to run hard to meet the ball, but she made a diving catch for the out. As she was making the catch, she fell out of bed! I couldn't stop laughing! Good one, Mom!
THE FALL
We all dream about our children at some point or another, and sometimes the things we worry about show up in our dreams. I have two sons ... the oldest is Ryan, and the youngest is Ian. Growing up, Ryan was a bit of a daredevil, and Ian was more reserved.
In this dream we were having a barbecue outside and just below the balcony of our second-story apartment. Ian was standing next to me as I grilled burgers; and when I looked up, Ryan was balancing precariously on the deck railing. "Get down from there before you fall!" I shouted. He didn't listen to me and continued to scale the railing, so I made my way up the stairs to pull him down.
Just as I was reaching the top of the stairs, sure enough, Ryan fell backwards and over the railing. "Oh, my God!" I screamed as I quickly ran back down the stairs. I could see him laying on the ground, facedown, and he wasn't moving. "Oh, no ... oh, no ... please, God, no!" I thought.
When I reached him, I flipped him over to see if he was breathing. But the body on the ground was no longer Ryan. It was my youngest son, Ian.
I woke myself up.
ZOMBIES
This dream begins with a view of a white mansion, big pillars in the front, where my youngest son and I apparently lived. It was the middle of the day, and we were running full speed across a wide, green lawn towards the house. There was a feeling of intense fear ... we were being pursued by the walking dead. Everyone in the neighborhood had turned into a zombie; and as far as we knew, we were the only humans left in the area. We bolted through the front door and ran from room to room, scared out of our wits, locking doors and windows, and looking for the best place to hide.
As the zombies started pounding on the outside of the house, we ran up to the third floor. On the way up, my son, who was about 18 years old, grabbed one of his baseball bats. I shoved him into a closet and told him to stay there. I was going back down to get some of my knives and any other thing I could use as a weapon.
The pounding got louder and louder; but as far as I knew, they still hadn't found a way in. I frantically grabbed my best cutlery and ran back up to the third floor. When I opened the closet door, out came my son holding his baseball bat ... but now he was a zombie, with a green face and orange hair, like a clown. The funny thing is he didn't seem to want to harm me. He just walked out of the closet all zombie-like as if he knew, for him, it was too late.
I screamed ... then I looked at my son with sympathy, said a silent goodbye, and ran back down the stairs. I tried the basement, but they were coming up the stairs. Somehow they had invaded the house, and I thought, "My only chance is to head outdoors and find a place to hide." I ran out the back door and towards the woods ... but hundreds of them were coming through the trees. I turned and ran back around the house to the woods on the other side, but even more were coming from there. I made a mad dash across the lawn towards the property entrance, but no go. There was no escape. So I gave up and stood in the middle of the grass as they approached me from every side. I WAS DOOMED. When the circle tightened and they were so close that I could feel their cold, stinking breath, I woke myself up. I sat up in bed in a feverish sweat. I stayed up for a little while after that, drank some water, and tried to forget about it. It took a while to shake this one off!
POPEYE
When I was a little girl, one of my favorite TV shows was Popeye, the Sailorman. Popeye was just a regular guy, smoked a pipe, loved Olive Oyl, and had an arch enemy named Brutus. He mostly went about his business ... right up until he needed to be a superhero. And that's when he'd pop open a can of spinach, gobble it down, and show off his oversized arms. He always got the bad guy, and he saved Olive Oyl from peril on many occasions. I suppose the cartoon was designed to make kids appreciate spinach, but it never worked on me!
I dreamt that an evil villain had kidnapped all the kids in the neighborhood. Somehow I had evaded capture, and now it was my duty to save them. From my hideout on the porch, I peered through the window and could see the kids, including my younger sister, all tied up against the fence in the neighbor's yard. "It's now or never!" I said, and I raided mom's cupboard looking for a can of spinach. I found one, but for some reason I couldn't just squeeze the can open like Popeye did. I had to use a can opener. With disgust on my face, I chugged the slimy spinach and tried to keep from throwing up. I watched as my arms grew big muscles; sang, "I'm strong to the finish 'cuz I eats me spinach," and then went off to save the day.
I ran into the neighbor's yard and pummelled the evil villain and his accomplice with a variety of impressive karate kicks and punches. "Don't you ever come back!" I yelled, and watched them hightail it out of the neighborhood. As I untied my friends and helped them off the fence, they cheered and called me a hero. "That's my sister!" said my sister proudly. For a kid, this was a pretty good dream.
But what I remember the most about Popeye, now that I'm an adult, is his most famous saying, which really applies to me today: "I AM WHAT I AM ... AND THAT'S ALL THAT I AM!"
BULLETS
My dad was a retired military man ... he had served in the Navy during the Korean War. Those years of his life were extremely dear to him; and as he got older, though he couldn't remember his grandchildren's names or what he ate yesterday, he could still give you every detail of his days in the Service.
When I was a kid, my dad enjoyed watching war movies, and some of the ones I remember are Bridge over the River Kwai, The Dirty Dozen, PT 109, and The Great Escape. And there were some movies in which there were bomber planes that would swoop down really fast and fire hundreds of bullets at people on the ground, bodies falling everywhere. Those scenes stuck with me for some reason and were the subject of many of my childhood dreams. The fear in those dreams was more the anticipation of watching the planes coming toward us and knowing they were going to spit those bullets all over the place. There was always an alarm going off in the background, "whoooop, whoooop," as we all scattered looking for hiding places.
I don't remember ever getting shot in the dreams, but I do remember waking up in a full-on panic from the fear. And I've often thought to myself, "Be careful, parents, what you choose to watch when the little ones are around. It could be the stuff of nightmares."
KING KONG
Have you ever had a dream where you were trying to warn everyone of a disaster, but no one would listen? Well, this is one of those.
In the dream I was about 10 years old, and I was walking down our driveway toward the road, which was Elm Street. I had this strange feeling that something was wrong. And when I got to the end of the driveway and looked up the street, I saw a giant hand reach above the line of trees and pull one of the trees right out, roots and all. Then a face appeared, and, oh goodness, it was King Kong! He snapped the tree in half, tossed the roots, and proceeded to use the other half as a toothpick.
For a moment I couldn't scream, not a sound would come out of my mouth. And then I couldn't run. I mean I was running, but I wasn't moving ... like running in place. King Kong came out of the trees and began walking towards the street and the line of houses, which included mine. As he made his way, each of his steps caused the ground to shake and rumble. Well, that snapped me out of my stupor, and I hightailed it back up the driveway and into my house. "Mom! Dad! King Kong is coming! King Kong is coming!" I shrieked. But they looked at me with amusement and said, "My, you sure do have an imagination!" I was so panicked. "No, you don't understand! He really is coming! He's right up the street! "Can't you feel the ground shaking?" No, of course they couldn't ... they just looked at me and laughed. "We're busy, dear, go back out and play."
What to do next? I ran back out to the end of the driveway, afraid to look up the street. Kong was picking up a house, looking through the windows, and then shaking it as the inhabitants fell to the ground. I ran to my neighbor's. "King Kong is coming! King Kong is coming! You've got to get out ... now!" I ran to my other neighbor's. "King Kong is coming! King Kong is coming! Everyone get out ... now!" But no one would listen ... how could they not feel the ground moving? I went back to my own house. "Mom! Dad! We have to get out NOW! He's almost here!" "Who?" said my parents ... "Oh, you mean King Kong?" they laughed. "YES! I screamed. "We have to go NOW!" I guess my tears finally convinced them to come outside and look. They walked down the driveway, just to humor me, and that's when they saw Kong just three houses away. "Holy smokes! Get all the kids! HURRY!" my dad yelled to my mom. At the same time my parents went scurrying about, the neighbors started running out of their homes in a panic. All of a sudden everyone believed me! All of a sudden everyone felt the earth tremble ... And then I woke up.
THE CHASE
I only remember a brief snippet of this dream, but I decided to write about it just to make my sister laugh.
We were being chased by bad guys. There were no adults to run to for help ... they were like the adults in Charlie Brown ... you knew they were there ... but you never saw them ... and when they spoke, it was all garbled like it was from a different language.
Anyway, the bad guys were chasing us; and my sister and I were running around the yard, hiding around corners; and we decided to get to dad's car and make a speedy getaway. Neither one of us knew how to drive, but we would figure it out ... and quickly! We crouched low, snuck our way across the lawn, jumped into the car, and locked the doors. But to my chagrin, my sister landed on the driver side and I was the passenger.
The keys were in it, of course ... it was New Hampshire in the 1960's ... there weren't many trust issues back then. "Okay, turn on the key!" I shouted. Her hands were shaking as she started the car. "Now, step on the gas!" I ordered. "And watch where you're going! You have to steer it down the driveway, then take a right!" "But I can't reach the pedal!" she screamed. "Crouch, crouch, you can do it!" I yelled. She got down a little lower, low enough to reach the pedal, but barely able to see over the dashboard. As she gave it some gas, we lurched forward and headed down the driveway. "Hurry! Hurry!" I shouted. We both held the wheel and made a sharp right as we turned down the road and headed towards safety.
As we made our way down Elm Street, my sister's driving became very erratic. She could hardly see where we were going and she couldn't keep her foot on the gas. We were barely moving, then we were jerking forward, then we were going too fast. And when I turned to look behind us, there were the bad guys in hot pursuit. "Oh boy," I thought. "I have to do something!" My poor sister was in panic mode, so I decided it would be better for me to drive. "Give me the wheel!" I shouted. AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT SHE DID! She ripped the steering wheel right out and handed it to me. "That's not what I meant!" I screamed. "Move over here and let me drive!" We awkwardly exchanged positions but I couldn't get the steering wheel back on. So I put my little girl hands around the nob where the wheel had been and drove us toward the local police station. Haha, sis, we've had a few laughs about this one!
This Section Reserved For Your Dreams
Please send to sandra@soul-in-control.net