Everyone has dreams apparently but they don't always remember them. Years ago magazines had 'dream analysis' columns where you could find out what your dream meant. I have dreams and sometimes when I'm dreaming I think what an interesting dream it is and that I must remember it, but when I wake all I can remember is that I wanted to remember it - of the dream - no idea at all!
The reason I'm writing about dreams is that I did remember one the other day which made me feel very happy. I dreamt about my long gone mother and father-in-law. There was some sort of celebration and everyone was having a wine, except for my mother-in-law who wanted a complicated cocktail made using navel oranges. She always was a tricky person! It was so lovely hearing their voices again that as soon as I woke I had to tell my husband. I wonder why they popped into my mind, no special occasion was happening and we hadn't spoken about them for some time. I'm just glad that they visited.
When I was young I used to have very vivid dreams. In fact while Mrs Strang was my teacher in first and second grade I had nightmares nearly every night as well as walking in my sleep. My dreams were nearly all the same. I'd be walking up the hill to Clitheroe flats and then see I was being chased by wolves. I'd run and run, get to the kitchen door, fling it open, rush inside and try to slam the door shut but the wolves would be pushing against the door and their paws would be coming around the edge. At this point I'd wake in fright drenched in sweat and crying. Mutti would come and cuddle me back to sleep.
Another recurring dream I had was that I could fly. When I was little it was so real that I actually believed I could fly! In the dream I would fall forward and then skim about 30cm above the ground. If there was an obstacle I could just glide over it. It was a lovely dream, very relaxing to go skimming over the ground. One day I decided to test if I could actually fly like that so I climbed onto the garbage bin and just tipped myself forward. In the dream my hands were always by my sides, so when I tipped forward I didn't try to catch myself but instead of floating there, went SPLAT onto the concrete. I really messed my face up badly. I tried to explain why I did what I did to Mutti when I went inside crying and bleeding profusely. She must have worried that there was something wrong in my head.
I did have a similar flying dream for years and when I looked up the dream analysis at some time I think it said that it was a positive thing. Certainly I enjoyed those dreams.
When I was at Uni I had recurring bad dreams of turning up to exams realising that I hadn't been to the lectures or tutorials for the whole year and that I had no idea what the questions were about. It was horrible and I would wake up in an absolute lather. Even these days if I am particularly stressed that dream will come creeping.
Before I got married I had a dream that I was dressed in all my wedding finery when I realised I didn't have any wedding shoes. I rushed to the shoe store, wedding gown and veil billowing but just as I got there the shop would shut in my face. Every shoe shop would shut as I got there. As a consequence, when I came to buy my wedding outfit, I bought the shoes first!
I've had all sorts of dreams, some nice and others not. I've mainly remembered the horrible ones and have been pleased that they are dreams and not any sort of reality.
It is fascinating to speculate why one's brain manufactures these vivid pictures. No wonder there are specialist dream analysts. I bet they get to hear lots of interesting stories and have a ball telling the dreamer what it all means.
