"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge That myth is more potent than history That dreams are more powerful than facts That hope always triumphs over experience That laughter is the only cure for grief And I believe that love is stronger than death." -- Robert L. Fulghum
I
should have known there would be inspiration for a "Dreams, Part II" entry
when I woke up from yesterday's marathon nap. After getting up around 6 p.m.,
I stayed that way for about 15 hours before returning to bed at 9 a.m. this
morning for six hours of serious mid-day sleep.
The dreams came back. Although this time, they made even less sense.
The first dream was set in a supermarket
that was really supposed to be my fire station. I was having a meeting with
the city personnel director, who happened to be carrying a pistol on his
side. His desk was at the front of the store, alongside the check out
stands.
I'm making none of this up.
The personnel director doesn't rank very high on some folks' favorite city
employee list. I, however, have never had any problems with him. Any meeting
I have with him usually has a happy ending. It was no different in my dream.
I don't remember why I was meeting with him, but I remember laughing and
being happy us finishing up without incident. Of course, I did sort of wonder
about that pistol.
The dream sort of went into limbo after the meeting finished. I remember
hanging out at the supermarket for a while, but that seemed normal. After
all, it was my station. Then, word comes in that the personnel director has
taken hostages somewhere out in the city and is currently in a standoff with
police.
I remember hanging out at the market some more, listening to the police radio
for updates on the situation. I believe it ended when someone finally shot
the personnel director. I remember walking up to one of the check out clerks
and saying, "I guess we won't be getting our (pay checks) any time soon,"
before waking up.
The second of the two dreams I remember
began with in a car with someone -- maybe Jessie. Whoever the person was,
they left shortly after we arrived at our destination -- some sort of state
park or something located in the middle of absolute nowhere.
I met up with a girl after I arrived. She was no one I know in real life,
but I knew her in the dream. What started out as all wooded area in the beginning
of the dream turned into a wooded area with a large lake as the dream went
on. The girl and I began walking along the lake shore, which appeared sandy...
but in fact was wet and muddy. I could feel my feet sinking as I walked and
I could feel water from the ground oozing into my shoes.
My shoes! I looked down and realized that I was ruining my good pair of tennis
shoes. Nevertheless, we continued walking. I remember there being concrete
pads -- probably 12 foot square with walls on three sides -- lined along
the shore area. On them, people played basketball and shot dice.
Once we reached the end of the shore area, I was magically carrying a stack
of clean clothes. Even in the dream, that didn't make sense and I tossed
them down on the last concrete area. As the pile hit the ground, another
pair of tennis shoes bounced out. That especially didn't make sense and I
made a remark about it to whoever I was walking with. I looked around the
concrete area and noticed my little brother playing basketball. I got his
attention and we spoke for just a moment before I woke up.
It's now 2:49 a.m. on Saturday, January
22. I've been awake since shortly after having that last dream Friday afternoon.
With a 24-hour shift at work set to begin in just over four hours... it's
time to catch another nap. I can't help but wonder what awaits
me.
Copyright © 2005, Thomas Fletcher. All Rights Reserved.