Collected Dreams

As a frequent and expressive sleep-talker, it seems that I dream almost every night. Like most people, my dreams usually fade within moments of awakening. But sometimes I remember them, and they feel important. They can set my mood, change the way I feel about someone, or preoccupy me for the rest of the day. When those dreams come, I find that writing them down and sharing them helps me get to the message. I'm often impressed by their symbolism.

I often have the "going back to school" dream, of high school or even elementary school, as an adult. Those are a drag. I love my dreams of flying, though. In a dream I can fly as long as I don't think too hard about it. As soon as I start analyzing or questioning the process, I find myself back on the ground. This reminds me of how I can only move my body to the rhythm of music when I'm not thinking about it. As soon as I become conscious of it, I can't do it anymore.

These important dreams are full of symbolism. Some items appear again and again and have the same meaning. My first lover usually symbolizes humiliation and rejection. Contact lenses, which I had to learn to wear and care for at age 8, symbolize valuable items or responsibilities I'm not handling well. My car represents my freedom. As a recovering addict, sometimes I dream about using. I don't think those are symbolic of anything. I usually feel terribly guilty in the dream and then wake up so happy it wasn't real.

Some dreams I've had were movies, with actual celebrities as co-stars and specific camera angles and credits. Sometimes I simply dream that I'm reading a book, and wake up with my hands positioned as if to hold it open. One that I don't remember, but my husband reported to me in detail, was getting a phone call from President Obama. Apparently I was totally starstruck, stammering, "Oh, Mr. President! Well, ah, it's such an honor to finally speak to you!"