The Dream

Wow. Have you ever woken up from a dream and thought, "THAT was a doozy!"? (Okay, I know 'doozy' may not be the exact word you would use, but you know what I mean). Well, last night I had a doozy of a dream. To preface, I dream often and vividly. It isn't unusual for me to remember more than one dream when I wake up in the morning. I'm also a lucid dreamer, which means that while I am dreaming I am often directing the action in my dream (turn this way, walk that way, etc.) Like most people my dreams are often influenced by personal things happening in my life as well as things I've seen through the course of my day. While sometimes disturbing, I've always found dreams fascinating.

So...

Last night right before I went to bed I watched Top Chef Just Desserts. Cake maker Sylvia Weinstock was on the show, which is the only explanation for why she was in my dream. (...as if there could be another connection...) Right before I woke up I had the following dream:

I was in a hotel and Sylvia and her husband were there as well. I can't recall what my occupation was, but it was very clear in the dream that it was my job to get Sylvia and her husband to a museum filled with historical Irish (?) artifacts (6 pm) before getting them to a black tie affair at 7 pm. This was the last evening that they could attend these events so it was vital that I get them there. They were dressed in their finest and ready to go even though I was still dressed in my frumpy sweats. I told them that we were going to be traveling in my Jeep, but was stressing as I said it because I couldn't imagine these two in their fine clothes bumping along in my Jeep (I decided in my head that her husband could take the backseat since it would be the bumpiest ride). I also realized that the inside of my Jeep was filthy and I needed to get it cleaned out so they could climb in. I left them to clean out my Jeep, which I inexplainably did at the museum event dressed in my sweats. I was throwing bags into a garbage can when I suddenly realized that I threw out a bag of mail. As I was hurriedly sorting through the garbage I became increasingly stressed because I was getting later and later in picking up my guests. In the garbage I found important bills for my husband as well as a fun, stickered envelope from my cousin. I looked to the right at this time and saw a big huge parked semi mail truck that was already supposed to be at my former Bible study teacher's house. People were hounding me and asking me why it wasn't already there and I nervously began to fret myself until I finally let it go because I had the Weinstock problem yet to handle. During the dream people were milling around the breezeway of the event including one man who had a puppy on his shoulders (are you worried about me yet?). There were all kinds of other details in this dream, but ... moving on...

So, it is getting later and later. I am still in my sweats, the Jeep is now cleaned out, and I am heading back to the hotel to pick up the Weinstock's. I am an hour late getting to them, and feeling terrible because they have now missed the first event because of me. (I haven't yet figured out why they were going to an Irish museum since the Weinstock's are clearly Jewish). Here's the clincher of the dream...

Ready?

As I'm driving back to the hotel - stressed out - I go through a very, very poor neighborhood. The first thing I see is an entire family working together outside their house to sort papers to get ready for the next morning's delivery (I think this is in direct relation to watching 'Downsized' before I went to bed which is about a large family struggling and working together to get out of debt). The next thing I see is a grandmother walking next to her grandson who was pedaling a trike. Finally, I turn a corner and see a family sitting on lawn chairs outside their home. The mom is playing beautiful music on the piccolo while her family relaxes, reads the newspaper, etc. The music was wafting through the neighborhood and I felt a sense of peace, calm and serenity as I drove through this part of town.

I woke up with a very clear understanding as to what this dream meant for me. It could be the right interpretation or it could be the wrong interpretation, but it was my immediate thought so I'll go with it:

I am trying so hard in my life to live up to my responsibilities and the expectations I have for myself and that others have of me. Invariably I feel like I am failing to meet their needs and to hit the mark that I've set for myself. In my dream, the juxtaposition between the black tie crowd and the poverty stricken neighborhood was startling. But those in the neighborhood, who had very little - but had each other, were happy and content on the inside with their simpler way of life.

Sometimes dreams do have messages. Although I am quite private and know that people I don't know read this, I am posting it to remember the message and perhaps pass the message on to someone else who might find it meaningful.

...and for a laugh...here's another recent dream:

My sister and I were shopping through racks and racks of sale clothes. I had a few things and was done, but she kept frantically searching for more and more items. She felt my impatience as I urged her to go. She finally said, quite emphatically, "Michele, we HAVE TO get clothes because of OBAMACARE!"

I don't know what the meaning of that dream was, but it still makes me laugh!

Sweet dreams.