Science Museum of MN - Social Science (Photo credit: massdistraction)You've been there I'm sure. Perhaps it was a vivid dream. Or maybe you don't remember a dream. Then you open your eyes.
"Where am I?" you may wonder. You might stumble out of bed or the chair or wherever it was you fell asleep, thinking that some confusing activity is still happening or has happened. You stop and try to remember, to figure out what has happened, decide what to do now.
Vaguely you regain your senses, still looking for something that is rapidly fading from your memory. What was it? Where is it? Why are you looking for it?
Coming back into the waking world you realize you have been dreaming. The crossover into waking life has been awkward and at times even unwanted.
"Why did I have to wake up?" you think. "I want to go back to that dream."
After you've stumbled across the brink of half-sleep and almost begrudgingly enter into the world of that which is real, you start trying to sort it all out. Sometimes a song may be sounding its last vestiges in the recesses of your memory or it may be a consuming thought or an idea that had made complete sense a few moments ago and now is making less and less.
The dream is leaving. Or you are leaving the dream. Like emerging from the most wonderful infinite sea that part of you wants to sink into forever, you crawl onto the sad sandy shore realizing it is not your time yet. You must come back. You must awaken and face reality again.
Have you been there? Have you awakened from sleep or dreams and been totally confused? What strange things have you done or experienced in those circumstances?
I woke up this morning, thinking what?!, I had the strangest dream and wanted to make sense of it. I told a work colleague who thought it was so very weird that she couldn't explain it. I was wondering if it was just one of those dreams that means nothing, there are some that have no meaning right? Otherwise, I have a day of being perplexed. I think it is bugging me so much because for the longest time I haven't been able to remember my dreams.
ReplyDeleteI dream wacky, bizarre stuff almost every night. I keep a dream journal and have for years. The first thing I do is make notes in there before I start thinking or talking to anyone. Sometimes, bits and pieces make their way into my stories and books.
ReplyDeleteProbably the strangest thing I've ever done is walk around a non-existent pillar that I saw in the room when I woke up.
Sunni
I've so so so been there and it really can be quite freaky. Although these days I tend not to remember my dreams quite so much. A few years ago when I was living in Illinois for a summer I had a dream about getting a phone call from Ellen DeGeneres, it seemed so life like and realistic for an hour or so afterwards I couldn't make up my mind if it was real or not.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I've had a dream, awakened then gone back and continued the dream. Very confusing.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Dreams are funny things. They let us peak into our subconscious.
ReplyDeleteI have always heard that people should be awakened gently if possible, to allow them to come up from the dream depths.
Kate -- I think all dreams have meaning--some just mean more than others. Sometimes I get those dreams that I can't just shake off. Those are the ones we should probably listen to the most.
ReplyDeleteSunni-- A dream journal is good to keep and can be useful in many ways.
Jason -- Yes, I too have had dreams where I thought that it was something that actually happened and that maybe I was just thinking it was a dream. It can be a very mindbending experience.
Yvonne - I've had those too. I think those continued dreams are probably something we are enjoying so much that we want to stay in the dream or they represent a problem we are trying to work out in our subconscious.
DG -- I don't like to be wakened suddenly. It can be very confusing if it happens while dreaming.
StMc -- Yeah, I've said that before in many circumstances, dreaming and awake.
Lee
Yep, I've been there (disoriented) upon waking. It happens if I doze off in a chair. :)
ReplyDeleteSo many times. I used to wake up sometimes after the most beautiful dream ever, where real emotions,where I was involved in real sensations of happiness and love, and it would take me one or two minutes to realize nothing of it was true. Such a realization would totally ruin my day, and I'd be impossible to deal with for the rest of that crappy day.
ReplyDeletePaula -- Dozing in a chair or away from bed can lead to very disorienting experiences.
ReplyDeleteJay --- Discovering that a wonderful dream is not real can be very disappointing. I know that feeling.
Lee