Anxiety dreams are born with us; they grow and evolve with us and take on many different shades. What scared us then doesn’t scare us now, and vice versa. Sometimes it’s not so much fear as it is general preoccupation, some deep-seeded nagging thing we’ve shoved to the bottom of our mental priority list for so long that its found a back door through our subconscious.
This month ten years ago, the two dreams duking it out over King of the Brain were the Evacuation Dream, and the Vermont Dream. In the Evacuation Dream, I was for some reason (fire, mafia, pitchfork-bearing mob) forced to leave my apartment/bedroom and had to immediately decide what was most important in my life and how I was going to carry it. (The only item that made the cut every time was my teddy bear, Charlie.) I had most of these directly before and after I moved from
The Vermont Dream had been haunting me for rather longer — in it, I was always trying to get to
I was born in South Burlington, lived at
Last night was a variation on the
So last night I was on my way to weekend in
Only…I didn’t have any luggage. That’s right: no bag, no clothes, no toiletries, just the shirt on my back and the keys to my car. No cell phone either, which actually bothered me more than the lack of clothes. In fact, the lack of luggage didn’t bother me at all. I could just buy a few things when I got there. And really, Cherie had the internet on her home computer — I could drop a quick email to my friends mentioning my lack of phone, and Cherie’s contact information.
A plane was disembarking at the time, and who should get off but my lovely, award-winning friend Mary Robinette Kowal (who runs into everyone while traveling). Though for some reason she had chosen to use a thick layer of pearlescent white makeup on her face that morning, making her already fair skin look lifeless and dead. She remembered that I was going to
That’s the point, wasn’t it? Sure, I missed my phone and felt silly about having no clothes, but in the grand scheme of things it really didn’t matter. Life threw insanity at me — dream-level insanity — and I didn’t scoff. I didn’t worry. I was a little annoyed, sure, but it made a great story. And, most importantly, I was still catching that plane to
I love that "the usual" in my life is dream-level insanity. I love that I revel in the ridiculous for the completely selfish opportunity of turning it into a story. I love that no matter how out-of-reach I happen to be, I will always find my friends with me. Most of all, I love that a dream which should have been a nightmare only left me feeling better about myself in the morning. I do not scare; I adapt, and steal.
Well, okay. Mary’s dead-face makeup did scare me quite a bit.
*shiver*
But I’m sure I can use that in a story some day too.
You are always so silly…I love it. Glad the bad dream fairy failed.
Pretty leaves. I just got back from a week with my parents in NC. Only disappointment was that the leaves didn’t change while we were there. They were just starting, just the faintest touch of gold along their edges, but I had to drive through two states of corn so I could be at my job in the morning.
You are always so silly…I love it. Glad the bad dream fairy failed.
I promise never to wear iridescent white makeup.
Just don’t sport it as an everyday affair. But if you WANT the voodoo zombie look, it’s very effective.
Mari concurs.
Pretty leaves. I just got back from a week with my parents in NC. Only disappointment was that the leaves didn’t change while we were there. They were just starting, just the faintest touch of gold along their edges, but I had to drive through two states of corn so I could be at my job in the morning.
I promise never to wear iridescent white makeup.
Just don’t sport it as an everyday affair. But if you WANT the voodoo zombie look, it’s very effective.
Mari concurs.
At least your anxiety dreams don’t involve somebody trying to kill you. I’ve had those dreams literally my entire life. They drive me nuts.
Oh sure, I have those dreams too. They just haven’t featured prominently lately.
Your whole life? Sheesh. Turn around and kill them right back.
Yeah, my whole life. It’s the pits. I much rather prefer the post-apocalyptic ones (they started when I was 11 or 12 lol). Never thought about trying to kill the people who are after me. I’ll try that next time.;)
At least your anxiety dreams don’t involve somebody trying to kill you. I’ve had those dreams literally my entire life. They drive me nuts.
Oh sure, I have those dreams too. They just haven’t featured prominently lately.
Your whole life? Sheesh. Turn around and kill them right back.
Yeah, my whole life. It’s the pits. I much rather prefer the post-apocalyptic ones (they started when I was 11 or 12 lol). Never thought about trying to kill the people who are after me. I’ll try that next time.;)