Sweet dreams are made of these...


I tend to have some anxiety.  I deal with it pretty effectively using exercise, a sense of humor and light pharmaceuticals.

I also tend to work through what’s bothering me while I sleep. 

I have a set of dreams and dream types that seem to be recurring.  Here’s a sampler platter:

Teeth Dreams – like a lot of people, I have that dream where my teeth are crumbling and falling out.  I haven’t had it in a while, but it feels real every time I have it, to the point where I convince myself I’m not dreaming within the dream.

Bathroom Dreams – Basically, I need to pee, and I can’t find a clean or functional bathroom.  I have these when I actually need to pee.  Nothing too exceptional about these dreams, but I have them a lot, as a function of being well-hydrated.

School/Classroom Dreams – Another common one – where I am at school and either can’t remember the location/combination of my locker, or can’t find my classroom, or I’m not prepared for a class.  Or, I realize I’ve been skipping a class all term and it’s time to take the test for it, and I’m not prepared. And I had no idea I was registered for a class.  Usually, it's a math class, and I am therefore fucked.  FUCKED.

Apartment Dreams – This is a newer category.  It’s basically a subset of the classroom dreams.  I have an apartment that I never gave up upon moving to Nashville, and I haven’t paid rent or checked the mail or been inside.  And I’m trying to find keys, get mail, etc.  Sometimes, I can’t even find the apartment.  Luckily, I never have a neglected dog in these dreams.  Lola always manages to make it to Nashville with me.

Sorority House – Another recent subset of the School and Apartment dreams.  I’m coming back to the sorority house I lived in in college.  And I haven’t paid dues, or picked up my mail in ages.  And I don’t know anyone, which is somehow my fault for not keeping up with things.  And sometimes, I have to move into a room with girls who don’t seem to like me.  And sometimes, we’re prepping for Rush, and I’m having to learn songs, or set up for parties, and I am not prepared for it.   Sometimes, I’m going through Rush.  Sometimes, I’m helping every house on campus with their rush, which requires me to remember every piece of trivia about them.  Which, thankfully, I can do.  Chi Omega's colors?  Cardinal and Straw.  Please, bitch, give me a hard one!

Especially impressive given that these ladies cut me after the ice water round.



The School and Apartment dreams are about being unprepared or not tying up loose ends.  The Sorority dreams add the element of being judged or disliked and trying to get approval.  Kind of like my actual time in college.

Airport Dreams – I’ve been having these since I was in my teens.  These fragment out in a lot of directions.  Either I’m trying to get to or park at an unfamiliar airport and I’m late for my flight.  Or I can’t get through security, or I’m trying to make a connection and can’t read the boards to see where to go.  Or I am trying to meet up with people and can’t find them.  Or, I get rerouted to a country where I can’t speak the language and don’t have any of the local currency.  Although I haven’t had one in some time, there was an offshoot of these where I was trying to pack for a trip and could only find one shoe.

Weigh-In Dreams – I haven’t had one of these in a long time, but these are where I’m on the scale at Weight Watchers and can’t see the number on the scale or in my books.  And the line is long, and the locale is unfamiliar.  I’ve had a few of these where I’m screaming because I’m so frustrated. I have woken myself up screaming.  True story.




What I love is that I can count on having at least one of these a week.  Last night was the sorority rush dream.   Those wear me out.

They all do.

My husband has his fair share of bad dreams, but he also has some great ones, where he’s making out with hot girls on public transportation.  Even if I have a sex dream, it’s usually one that makes me feel guilty, either within the context of the dream or afterward.   Damn my conscientious subconscious.

But the way I see it, it’s good multi-tasking.  My mind is working through the clutter while my body’s batteries recharge.

And it’s all good.

ae

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