By: Emily Eileen Moreshead
Debbie Gibson had a song in 1987 by this name, Only in my Dreams, a popular tune that was easily recognizable among the greatest era of music ever, and legions of screaming teenage girls (totally biased here by the way; God Bless the 80’s). But recently the dreaming aspect of my life has been on overdrive! I never sleep well. I don’t know why but sleep is a constant struggle for me. No matter how early or how late I make it to bed, I always wake and therefore dreaming is elusive. Usually elusive, until this week.
Dreams are imaginative, amazing, and unforgettable but for me they are also confusing. They are even chronologically characterized in online dictionaries which is quite fascinating! These last few nights I have slept slightly better than normal and while I still wake feeling tired, I woke remembering a lot of confusing dreams that to me made absolutely no sense. So it was onto the dream dictionary for me!
I was disappointed to discover the meanings of my latest sleepy time scenes. For example, I pride myself on always being timely. I am never tardy, always show up to work and appointments earlier than anyone else, with enough cushion time to account for unforeseen emergencies. I dreamt I was late. Late to what I have no idea but upon challenging this atrocity I discovered that my dream meant ‘fear of change’, ‘ambivalence of opportunity’, ‘overwhelmed or conflicted about the future’. Wonderful, huh? Well I have been under quite a bit of workplace stress lately so this makes sense. Okay. The next symbol in my dream had to do with losing a possession and while exploring that specific item, the dictionary explained that I was experiencing ‘life’s anxieties’ and have an ‘overwhelming amount of stress in my life’ because I ‘tend to everyone else’s needs and neglect my own’. Finally my last symbol had to do with a mode of transportation stating that when analyzed, ‘I am lacking control and originality over what direction my life is taking’.
Well that just sounded the chimes of doom, huh? Maybe not. I was saddened at first but after exploring my own emotions, these clues do make sense and I know believe that dreams can tell us things we either don’t want to hear during waking hours or teach us what we ignore being busy. It was enlightening and empowering in a way though because now that I’m aware of what my dreams mean, I can process what has been going on in my world and strive to better it. I most certainly need to relax, take lunch during the work day, and stop reflecting on things I cannot control. (A tall order for a type A personality like me!)
I need advice, Readers. Help a poor soul find solace. Tell me what you do to relax and stop the constant battle to ‘fix’ everything. I am seeking answers from all sources.
Keep on dreaming. Dreams can connect you to a deeper level of your soul you never knew you could understand.
E & E Writers Enterprise 