An Amazing Dream

It started with me walking to a parking lot. There were some cars there but also campers, trailers and fenced in rings for kids and animals. I saw my sister's friend Jana with a group of about 4 little kids - two of them boys around 7 years old and two little toddlers. They seemed to be a little unruly, then the two older ones wandered off down towards the beach. It was dark out except for street lights. I told Jana she better go after them. She grabbed the little ones and went calling and looking.

I was standing in the middle of everything when this guy about my age, all dressed in beat up black leather came up and grabbed me and started pulling me into his trailer. I was kicking and screaming "what are you doing?" he said, "I know you have been waiting for me. I saw you looking at me". I said "I don't know what you're talking about", and I pulled away.

I started walking to the beach which was just on the other side of the parking lot. I saw a woman that I knew vaguely. We walked together for a little bit till we got close to the water. It had just gotten pitch dark but we could see a little from the lights of the city behind us. There were tons of people on the beach. It must have been some kind of festival. I could hear the waves crashing and wanted to go in the water. There were flashes of light in the sky and pinkish orange streaks. I said it must be the first rays of morning but this woman said no, that was impossible. But then it gradually got lighter. The hours had disappeared.

Fewer people were on the beach and I saw some large rocks that I wanted to climb on. I climbed up and over one and down the other side towards where it was going into the water. There was a tunnel worn out by water that I climbed down.

At the bottom, just before the waves, there were two very large, beautiful scarves made of soft cotton fabric, painted with beautiful designs. They were folded like pleated waves as if presented for someone to find. I picked up the first one and passed it up to a woman at the top of the rocks. She held it out and it waved in the wind. It had women's faces painted on it and I recognized the artists as one I knew when we lived in Oregon. In a moment of generosity, I said she could have it. I picked up the next one and held it out for myself. It was painted with leaves. I thought with some regret that it was not as nice as the one I had given away.

Then I had to shimmy back up through the tunnel. It was slippery and I had to press against the edges. At the top, someone took my hand and helped me up. Then I went swimming in my clothes and the water was just the right temperature. I saw Jana and asked what happened to the kids. She said they were in jail, the little devils, for stealing a car! She was glad to be rid of them.

Hardly anyone was swimming and the beach seemed deserted. I was on a platform on the beach and I noticed a really cool vintage tricycle. Some people had made the basket into a type of kite and were flying the whole thing. I thought it was really clever and quite a sight to see.

That would have been a good ending to the dream, but they had a little dog, like a Jack Russell, and the dream ended with me inviting these people to stay with me and their dog, stuck in the bathroom, peeing on the floor. I was saying "oh, poor doggie" just before I woke up.

I studied dreams as part of my Psychology degree in college, so the irony and significance of certain things is not lost on me. I know that there are symbols and metaphors, just like a good story. Some are easy, like the tunnel = birth canal = new beginnings or just a desire to become myself. The parking lot is a metaphor for feeling parked or stuck. The desire to go to the beach and in the water symbolizes a desire to be in touch with the sensual, the life force, perhaps even the universal oneness. Some things are personal like me being able to easily fight off an attack is my sub-conscious telling me that I am strong and capable. The textiles are pretty obvious. In the dream I felt like they were a discovered treasure. The designer that I recognized was a Japanese woman so I was linking in my Japanese.

Other bits are not so easy to figure out or they seem random. Why Jana with her kids? Why the tricycle kite? Why the people on the beach at night? I can only explain the dog by saying that the last thing I thought about before going to sleep last night was the possibility of getting a small dog someday. I guess my sub-conscious was reminding me that I would have to clean up the pee.