I have been having a lot of dreams lately, dreams that I remember and are particularly vivid. I wrote about this issue in a previous post. Sometimes they are fun, other times they are troubling, all because I seem to be remembering them. I have always dreamt, (or is it dreamed), but I was the person that said, “I don’t remember what it was about,” when asked. It was true. I think because I am, now, paying more attention and trying to remember them that they tend to stay with me.

The ones that creep my out seem to be like that stubborn strand of thread or adhesive that will not release contact with your body. Then you are able to rid yourself of it, then hours later you look down and it has been wrapped around your sock for God knows how many hours. The dreams leave my memory, then come back. To curb this problem, I started writing them down, either upon waking or upon rediscovery, wrapped around the proverbial sock of my brain. Now I don’t mind if the nice, fuzzy, sexy, interesting ones come back to haunt me later in the day. That’s fine by me, because the initial experience was pleasant, as are the later remembrance of things past. It is with the icky ones with which I need to cut ties.  So I write them down and step slowly, deliberately away. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.

I have thought about looking into books about interpretations of dreams, but I always find it far more fun to come up with my own interpretations. Freud and friends cannot tell me about my sub-conscious. That is like walking up to a complete stranger and asking them to read your mind. It will be utter horse manure. It is my imagination and narrative stream of consciousness driving the bus, so let me interpret with my own mind.

Let’s say I have a dream about a crush from grade school, I interpret his presence to invoke the idealized male for whom I will forever be searching. If recurring themes like intricate buildings, architecture, and other creatively shaped atmospheres come to me in the night, I interpret that as my sub-conscious nudging me to explore my creative outlets. I also see it as my sub-conscious telling me to get involved with the local architectural community, perhaps take a AutoCAD (Computer Aided Drawing) class or visit a museum. If I am running around these buildings and structures, then it is time to work on calming the mind, body, and soul. I am never chased. I am just in frantic pursuit of something, something I will not find until I find my center, then make some decisions about the future.

I has been fun analyzing my my sub-conscious. It has been even more rewarding to enjoy deep enough sleep that makes dreams possible. Every night may be a wild adventure, or something wildly banal, like putting away the dishes with Ben Affleck. I guess I have one interesting imagination. Letting it run amuck is so much fun!