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05/02/2019
Something I have been meaning to do for quite a while is to keep a dream journal. I have dreams every night. All throughout the night. And I usually remember about five from each night of slumber. I always thought this was normal, but after speaking to a lot of people over the years, I discovered that most people (at least the ones I know) are not like this. I guess I should feel special that I never truly rest...
Sleeping should be a refreshing activity, but my dreams make it so that I feel constantly active. Take last night for example. Over the course of my sleeping, I dreamed that I was driving an RV, untangling branches from a utility cable, doing chin-ups for an online PE course, and trying to figure out why so many people had disappeared.
The craziest one was driving an RV. I have never driven any vehicle larger than a minivan. In my dream, I was driving the RV along the feeder road of one of the many interstates in Houston. That doesn't sound so odd, right? Well, not until you realize that the driver's seat is at the back of the vehicle, 20 feet away from the windshield. Not to mention the fact that the brakes were really squishy. (That is a very common occurrence in my dreams that involve driving. It is nearly impossible for me to stop a vehicle where I want it. It usually rolls a little bit which is very frustrating and unnerving. I can't tell you how many times I have had to adjust a parking job in one of my dreams.)
Later on in that dream, there was an 18-wheeler that was sideways, but his tires were perpendicular to the cab and trailer. This meant that the tires were aimed correctly for the road, so he was taking up about three lanes as he drove. Eventually the vehicle corrected and drove like normal. Shortly after that he brushed up against another truck as he was changing lanes. No damage was visible, and neither vehicle stopped, so I guess everything was fine.
The weirdest part of the dream was when my 14 year-old son starting driving the RV. My wife and I were sitting in the back and giving him tips and directions. He did an amazing job navigating the monstrous rig through residential neighborhoods. I thought, "I can get used to this." Unfortunately he missed his exit, and we got a little turned around. We were unable to correct it before I woke up.
In one of the other dreams, I was a student taking an online PE course. (These do exist, and I still don't get it.) I received a message from the instructor who was chiding me for having logged in to the course only one time. There was an assignment that I hadn't submitted: pull-ups. I was supposed to do pull-up exercises for fifteen minutes and then write a report on my experience. Fortunately I just happened to be next to a playground that had horizontal bars perfect for doing pull-ups.
Please bear in mind that I am no physical specimen. I have done two pull-ups in my entire life. That was good enough for me. Since this was for a class, I put real effort into it. In my dream, I did not do a traditional pull-up. I had one hand over and one under the bar. It made sense in the dream, but in my waking state I don't see how well it would work. While I was doing the exercises (and doing them quite well I might add), there were a few other students also doing their homework on the horizontal bars. They were much more impressive, but I was just happy that I was able to do several pull-ups without breaking a sweat. After a time, I was not only performing a pull-up, but I was also lifting my legs at the same time to form a perfect L-shape with my body. I couldn't help but think about how awesome my abs were going to be.
My dreams are relentless, even several days after I have them. For no real reason, a past dream will surface in my mind throughout the normal course of a day. I think this also contributes to a high frequency of déjà vu moments.
I can see that it is almost time for me to call it a night. I wonder what adventures I'll go on tonight. Sleep tight everyone!