Thursday, January 24, 2008

Talking to oneself ...

I dream a lot, I think. Someone once told me that she thought dreams were the sub/unconscious mind's way of resolving issues of the day. When I was a taxicab driver, I would sometimes have bad dreams -- usually of coming back to where I had parked my vehicle only to find it missing. (That never happened, understand, but it must have one of my fears!) I actually had that dream more than once, because in the middle of the big "chase it down" scene, my sleeping mind would remember that I'd had seen that episode before, and I would wake up ... a good thing.

Have you ever had a recurring dream? When I was in high school, I had one where I had a friend (whom I'd never met in real life). We spent a lot of time in her home. I can still visualize that house. Then, when I went away to college, I made a new friend. When she invited me over to her home to meet her family, I was startled to realize that everything was familiar, right down to the books on the shelves. And why wouldn't it have been? I had "been there" many times!

That's probably one of the eerier dreams I could relate. Usually I don't remember my dreams ... just bits & pieces. Once I woke myself up laughing out loud ... sure wish I could remember it -- must have been one of the good ones!

Sometimes I will wake myself up because I can hear myself talking! The latest episode occurred within the past month. I distinctly remember that I was teaching a group of bridge students and was answering an oft-posed question (for the gazillionth time, it seemed!) yet once again, but trying to re-phrase my answer in such a way that the student would have a ("Eureka, I've got it!") light bulb go off in his/her head. I woke myself up talking to the (dream) student.

Yesterday, Darling Daughter (DD) shared a really funny story with me, which is what prompted this latest "frothing at the mouth" post.

The afternoon before, I had tried to reach her on her cell phone -- left a message because she was unavailable. I assumed she was taking a nap, so asked her to call me later when she had time. I didn't hear back from her later (just as well, because I hit the bed early). However, we did connect yesterday, and here's what happened in that conversation ... ... ...

"Keep still for a minute, so I can say something, O.K?" (You almost have to know our past history of communicating. One of us is often saying that to the other, because we both have something we want to say, and we want to say it right NOW!! What often happens is that one has uttered something that has triggered a vitally important piece of additional information that the other feels has to be interjected right that very instant or that moment in conversational history will be lost forever.)

DD kept telling me yesterday, "Mom, keep still for a minute, so I can say something, O.K?" I couldn't figure out why she was shushing me this time. FINally, tho, she got through to me that that was what she had been telling her "voice mail message dealiebopee machine" ... and, of course, the machine just kept going on its merry way until DD realized that she was, in essence, talking to herself. Is that hilarious, or what?? I've "been there done that" -- how about you?

2 comments:

Tammy said...

Oh, too funny!!

I don't leave voice messages anymore. They make me ramble and before I know it the message thingy beeps and cuts me off mid-sentence. Then I have to call back AGAIN to finish up. I always feel like such a fool!

Michael R. Patton said...

Interesting dream. So was the dream friend the same person you met in college? Did the dream stop after you left for college? I guess you must have been shaken up when you saw the inside of that house. Did you ever tell your friend about that dream? I'd like to use this dream on my dreamsteps blog. I've been posting my own dreams for 3 years. But now, I'd like to include more dreams from others.