Dream Journaling

I have kept a dream journal since late 2006 or early 2007.  Matt encouraged me to pick up the practice (though he rarely dreams and so doesn't keep a dream journal) as means of developing the ability to lucid dream--that is to become aware of and take creative control of your dream state.  I still have never managed that, but dream journaling has still been a very rewarding habit in any event.

My dreams are hilarious.  So much nonsense.  I love to re-read them later, once I've forgotten about them.  Oh, how I make myself laugh!

There is also  quite a bit of worry in my dreamworld--trying to find something I've lost, or find someone I am looking for, or getting in trouble for something I did or didn't do.  I have a natural tendency to worry in my waking life, too--a trait I am working steadily to balance, to learn to be like the lilies of the field and all that.  It doesn't surprise me that I worry in my dreams, too.  I also have the occasional bad dream, but mostly its just nonsense--very amusing nonsense.

As I was recording my last dream I realized that I have just one page left in my dream journal.  I read through a good lot of them and it was, as always, quite interesting to me.  Sometimes there is no connection to the strange aspects of my dreams--like the one about finding a tribe of Lilliputian Native Americans living in a tree down by the river while I was out scouting for a goose in the dark one night.  I have no idea where that came from!  Sometimes I can plainly see where my mind conjured up the imagery from--like when Lacee posted photos of alligators from her trip to Florida and I dreamed I was crossing a river with alligators sleeping down on the riverbed the next day.

I don't think there is really any point, per se, to this journaling.  I find it interesting and funny, plus I like writing and record keeping, in general.  I like remembering things and do not always have the best memory.  Writing stuff down--dreams or otherwise--really helps me to preserve these fleeting memories for later enjoyment. Every now and then my dream journaling helps me realize that something is bothering me in real life which is, of course, the first step toward resolving such issues.  That is probably the most practical purpose.  I still can't take creative hold in my dreams--to realize I could do anything and change the course of them.  That is okay though.  Maybe I will someday.  Mostly though, its just fun.

"I dreamed a group of folks, including Matt and me, were trying to contact beings in outer space.  We had a large silver disk (think: satellite dish) on a string strung up between two poles (or maybe it was between two trees).  Everyone but Matt and I were also wearing metal space-looking suits with dishes and cones on their heads.  I don't recall if we ever got a hold of anyone out there."  January 25, 2010

"I don't remember for sure, but I feel like Sarah, Mom, and I were trying to teach Keleigh to fly (it seems we were all able to fly and transform ourselves into other creatures), but she was being a bad baby and wouldn't pay attention or follow instruction.  I kept having to catch her.  The problem was that she also kept transforming herself into a crocodile (a short, stubby, 2-foot tall crocodile that was mostly snout) so I kept having to catch flying croc-Keleigh which was even more challenging that usual.  What a bad baby!"  February 15, 2010

"Matt and I were walking along a rocky beach.  The beach was along a dry lake with a ridge rising up from the beach.  All of the sudden a huge wave came crashing over the ridge and swept out into the lake, filling it up.  I was swept out into the lake with the crashing wave.  Matt somehow managed to stay on the rocky beach.  It was as if Matt and I had been walking in a tide pool that was suddenly filled up at high tide.  As I was struggling with the wave the water turned into visceral pop-up ads on the internet (which is almost impossible to describe).  The ads kept coming at me, pulling me in all directions.  The ads were for Furbies."  March 6, 2010

"Sarah, Keleigh, and I were at my house when we could hear a ruckus and music outside.  Sarah said, "Oh, yeah!  Its the Pastor Parade." So we went outside to watch the parade going by.  I don't really remember any of the pastors, but I do remember finding a balloon on the ground.  I tried to pick it up and the wind blew it out into the street where my dad was directing traffic for the parade (like he used to do in Sidney in real life).  He hit it back to us."   September 21, 2011

"There was a birdhouse in our living room on the wall.  Decoration.  I was in the living room and could hear this noise.  When I got closer to the birdhouse all of the sudden a Flicker flew out of it at me.  It was flying around the room really fast and I was afraid I would get stabbed by its bill." January 2012

"I found a bunch of file folders containing info about/for a large group of people I know, mostly friends.  I wrote little notes to put in each file--just nice, funny things and things I liked about each person so that when they opened their file they'd have a nice surprise."  April 1, 2013

"I dreamed that Ryan was doing something hilarious.  I wish so much that I could remember what now....perhaps a dance culminating in falling on his face, but I'm not positive that was it.  In any case, it made me laugh in my dream, and apparently in real life, too, because I woke myself up laughing out loud in bed at Sonja's."  May 19, 2013

"I was involved in some sort of really important debate with a guy who seemed pretty evil.  I don't remember what he was trying to enforce, but it was not good and I was trying to stop it.  He had his arguments and rebuttals written down on big pieces of white bark, like from a birch tree."  July 3, 2013

"I dreamed that it was our wedding day and we realized that there were a lot of details we'd never gotten around to.  Most memorable was when we realized we'd failed to write our vows!  So we had to make them up on the fly.  I guess this is my subconscious being concerned about all the things we've got to do before June."  September 25, 2013

"I dreamed someone had sewn a fold into my big, purple bath towel so it was much shorter and had a big, useless flap in the middle."  1/20/2014

"I have a cold right now so last night I dreamed my nose was all stuffy and someone (I can't recall who, but it was either a friend or family member) said, "Oh, you should take a Sudafed."  She then pulled out a tin full of red tablets and capsules of a variety of shapes and sizes.  She picked through them and said, "I think these are the ones."  I declined to take them due to the uncertainty in her voice and the lack of labels."  10/28/2014

"I dreamed something elaborate with lots of people and boxes full of rainbows.  I can't remember any more than that, but when they opened the boxes rainbow light came out."  2/7/2015

"...As we were driving through the parking lot a group of people were coming across it en mass towards the hill down into the park.  It was like a mixture of Halloween and Christmas.  Witches and wizard hats, but with garland and Christmas lights and candy canes at the tops of pointed hats.  Some of them had entire pointy hats made of illuminated (from the inside) red and white stripes.  I can remember saying, "Don't hit the wizards!"  2/17/2015

"I dreamed that Blake found her black cat (who has been missing in real life) and brought him into the library all wrapped up in a towel, carrying him like a baby.  I'm not sure why he was in the towel.  Was he hurt?  I am not sure, but Blake was really excited and talking fast."  2/4/2016