Keeping with the theme...

I didn't really have a topic for today. My mom is facing some heavy health news on Tuesday, and as much as I think she's been a raving hypochondriac in the past, I fear this time, it really is serious. But, I've always believed you shouldn't worry until you have something to worry about, and although sometimes that is impossible, I do try to hold to that.

So, today I decided to keep with the theme of yesterday. Today I'm going to talk about dreams.

This little kid had a lot of vivid dreams as a kid and young adult:

I remember my dad asking me every once in a while if I dreamed about "wed wobsters." Apparently, I'd had a dream about these large red lobsters that was "a little bit good and a little bit bad." I wonder sometimes about that dream, and how old I was when I had it, and why it was both good and bad. Maybe the dream started off with a lobster like this:

And ended like this:

This could happen.

When I was younger, I had two recurring dreams that weren't both good and bad. They were all bad, and would usually happen when I was stressed. One theme was tornadoes. Not just one tornado, but multiple tornadoes, all heading straight toward where I was. The tornado dreams persisted into young adulthood, and pretty much ended soon after I had my third child, J. I guess it took me that long to realize that sometimes there are things that will be out of my control, and the best is all I can do. 

Some of the tornado dreams would happen when the kids were very young--these were the worst. There would be 7 or 8 tornadoes barreling towards me, and I would realize the kids were somewhere else, and I had to find them and get them to safety before these monsters were on top of us. Those dreams were probably the most anxiety-filled I've ever had.

Multiply times 2 or 3 and you have my dreams.

 Another recurring stress dream theme was snakes. As a kid, I actually liked snakes and would seek them out. However, these dreams featured LOTS and LOTS of angry rattlesnakes, usually littering a path that I HAD to take. 

I had one dream that came true. I was probably in 5th grade, and I dreamed I was spinning around in a circle holding something. I was with my best friend, and all of a sudden, we were running away. A few months later, my friend and I were walking home from a Majik Market. I had a snow cone, and I had already slurped out all the juice (except for the yellow, which I didn't like). So I started spinning around in circles, and I squeezed the bottom of the cone, and the chunk of ice went flying. Well, it smacked an older lady watering her lawn in the head. My friend and I took off, and as I was running, I remembered the dream.

This is Florida (sorry for the stock photo)

Now that I'm older and hopefully wiser, I have a lot of dreams about my dad and grandparents who have passed away. In all the dreams, they're healthy, happy, and encouraging. In many of those dreams, they drive convertibles, and there's sunshine. I always wake up from these dreams with a safe, happy feeling. 

It's usually a convertible similar to this:

The following are a couple of pictures of my grandfather, Leland Greenwood. He was my hero, and if he picked favorites, I was his. We spent a lot of time together, and he had a contagious laugh and an eternally happy demeanor. I miss him SO much. I didn't get to say goodbye before he died, but we didn't need to, because we still talk and laugh in my dreams:

He loved pancakes in WWII. :)

 

Other happy dreams are of surfing. There's something about being in the ocean on a hot day, with salty sea perfume in my hair, the sun tingling the beads of water on my skin, and the rush of adrenaline and pure joy my soul feels when catching that perfect wave. 

I do have pics of me surfing, but its too early in the morning to find them. Lol.

And yes, I have had dreams of actually finding Forrest Fenn's treasure. :)

So, what are dreams, and why do we have them? I don't believe every single dream you have has some hidden or veiled meaning. But recurring bad dreams in times of stress are another matter. I think the tornadoes and the snakes symbolize a feeling of a loss of control. I'm not sure why my dead relatives drive convertibles in the sunshine, but I suspect it's because they are now free from illness and stress and the drudgery of life. The convertible in the sunshine symbolizes ultimate freedom. 

And maybe the surfing dreams are a kind of comfort, and a feeling of being content, and in harmony with nature without corrupting it.

Anyway, it's time to get ready for work. Happy Friday the 13th!