Dreams

For the most part I don’t dream. Or probably more accurately I don’t remember my dreams. The few that I do remember I usually forget shortly after waking up. Within the last week I have had two dreams that made a very strong impression on me. Here they are…..

In the first dream I am back in New York, near home, and I am out for a run. The weather is beautiful as I run, clear sky and warm, but there is a sense of urgency in the back of my mind to get home quickly. As I am passing through the nearby village the sky suddenly fills with dark clouds blocking almost all sunlight. The wind picks up to be almost tornado strength. I am still miles away from home but I am near a church, the only public building I can think of, so I quickly sprint the hundred yards or so to the safety of the building. Inside is now myself and a few others seeking shelter from the storm. We sit nervously listening to the wind howling outside and the building creaking all around us wondering if the structure will hold together.

Unfortunately that is where that dream ends. I have no idea if we survived. The main things that had the strongest impression on me were the speed with which the storm arrives and being worried that the building I am in may suddenly come apart.

In the next dream I am with several friends aboard a boat in the ocean not far off the coast of somewhere. The boat is large enough that there are about ten of us sitting around a table in the galley relaxing and having a good time. In the group is a married couple and their baby. In the dream it was not Mark, Natalie and Lil M but I am sure they are the model for the family. The baby is sitting in a little chair sleeping and as I walk by I decide to pet her head affectionately. Unfortunately this action wakes her up and she starts crying loudly disrupting the group. Feeling bad about waking her up and because I just want to hold her I offer to take her outside to calm her down. On this boat, like all boats I have seen, the entry to the galley faces the back and you can walk on either side of the galley to the front. But the walkways to the front are very narrow at about a foot wide. I head out with the baby in my arms, her head on my right shoulder looking out behind me. I start to move along the side heading towards the front of the boat when the waves pick up and start rocking the boat roughly. In order not to fall off I grab a rail with my left hand and clutch her close to me with my right. The waves do not stop and we are bouncing up and down. At this point I am doing ok holding the boat and the baby but I am nervous about dropping her in the ocean and don’t think I can safely move back along the side. The baby has now calmed down and seems to be happy. However she also decides that she no longer wants to be held and starts trying to squirm her way out of my arm. This is a problem as I am still too worried to move back but now I am having trouble holding on to her with only one arm. Fortunately after a few moment of her giggling happily trying to escape as I am frantically trying to hold on scared immensely that she is going to fall into the ocean someone appears next to me and is able to take her from me so that we can both get safely back to the back of the boat. I am very relieved.

There are several things about this dream interest me but one thing really sticks in my mind. It is the moment that she is trying to crawl out of my grip. The reason for this strong impression is because she is happy and I am scared. It is that innocence a child has in not knowing the danger they are in. Natalie & Mark – if we are ever on a boat in the ocean don’t ever let me take Lil-M outside. :)