Dreams

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed how I remember my dreams more.  Especially recently.  Some people have weird, unearthly and humanly impossible dreams that are fantastical, but I fall into the group of people who have those rivetingly realistic dreams about things that could actually happen…to myself.  Then there are other people I ask, who never remember their dreams.  They claim they just don’t dream.  I did some research, and interestingly, everyone dreams; it’s merely a matter of who remembers them.  

This summer, I’ve started to remember a startingly greater percentage of dreams than when I was in school.  I believe this is due to my brain’s relaxation.  During the school year, I’m always busily hurrying about, trying to complete this assignment, go to this event, add in a workout here, conference with a teacher, review my notes from class etc.  My brain, I must admit, during the school year, is much less creative than it is in the summer.  In the summer, I think.  I can find the time when I don’t have to do anything, or think about anything and just sit (or pace) and let my mind wander freely.  I’ve noticed that in my freetime, I usually ponder books and novels I’ve read.  Or I try to think about different political views and why I would or would not support this side.  There’s also that side of me that has reveries about what I want my future life to look like and at the back of my head, there’s the nagging voice that keeps listing everything I’ve still got to do today.  It’s during these moments that I have the opportunity to think about things.  I’m thinking that perhaps during the summer, the creative side of my brain is more activated, allowing me to remember my dreams better.  

My dreams lately have been surreal lately and it bothers me.  Last night, I dreamt I was drowned with a boy I know off a raft in the middle of the ocean.   Last week, I dreamt I lived in an apartment, and I caught two criminals (I think I was part of the FBI), then drove off in a blue convertible.  I’ve noticed in the past that my dreams tend to lean on the more violent side though I’m not sure why.  There’s usually a chase involved, and there are almost always people in the dream whom I know as acquaintances.  A dream from last week that I was on the less violent side and definitely on the more random side, involved me brushing my teeth with an Oral-B toothbrush, staring into a rectangular mirror that ran the entire length of the walls from floor to ceiling, purfled with LED lighting.  An acquaintance of mine was standing next to me, also brushing his teeth. 

Recalling my dreams and trying to make sense of them has perhaps been one of the more interesting parts of my summer.  I don’t think I’ve ever remembered dreams as vividly in my life.  Perhaps I’m not sleeping as deeply, or for as prolonged a time period as I should be.  Often, I will wake up a few minutes before my alarm goes off, and recall the dream vividly.  But as soon as I doze off a little bit before my alarm actually goes off, I’ll forget it again.  Some dreams dissipate more quickly than others and as to many days, I simply wake up, walk downstairs for some breakfast, and try to make sense of what I experienced so vividly in my head.