To Dream the Impossible Dream
Stupid things I do March 20th, 2008If you think my brain is twisted enough when I’m awake, you should see how things look when I’m asleep.
Here are a few of the recurring dreams I’ve been having for years:
1. I’m lying on the couch in the living room of my childhood home. The room is packed from floor to ceiling with very large balloons. They are suffocating me. It’s only when the clown comes downstairs and parts the balloons as he walks through the room that I can breathe again.
2. I’m suspended on a girder that sits perpendicular to the top of a familiar bridge in a nearby city. I straddle the end of it and, as it pivots, the girder swings way out over the river and I’m screaming. I don’t know how I got there or if I can get down. I feel death is imminent.
3. In my childhood neighborhood, I’m swimming through waterless air down a hill near my home. I do the breaststroke all the way to the little candy store at the bottom of the hill and around the corner. When I get there, I land lightly on my toes and walk into the store, where I go on to buy Giant Pixie Stix. I consider it very normal to have flown there.
4. I’m trying to put a punch bowl-sized contact lens in my right eye. It does not seem impossible that I can do this. In fact, I manage to squeeze the lens all the way in — and it fits perfectly. I don’t know how. It just does. I never put one in the left eye.
Why do I keep having these bizarre dreams over and over? Beats me. I suppose if you want to try and analyze them, you can. But maybe I don’t want to know.
I’m just glad I stopped having the one where I’m being chased by a homicidal maniac with a cleaver and a gun.
Care to share your wackiest dreams? Scary, fun, inexplicable? Recurring or not, let’s hear ’em!
* Yes, that’s me in the clown gear.
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March 20th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I can give you he name of my therapist if you would like…..lol:)
KFJ’s last blog post..80’s Fix Wednesdays
March 20th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I have a recurring dream of a talking man eating chicken. It’s always at my aunt’s house on the front porch. The chicken stands at the steps and taunts me, “Come on off the porch, I just want to take a bite!”. See, the chicken cannot come on the porch and so far I’ve never gone off the porch.
I have many recurring dreams, but this is the weirdest!
Susan’s last blog post..A heartattack for my birthday
March 20th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I already subscribe to your feed :O) I have a few…. One is that I can definitely fly!
Another is to do with the elements – ink black, rolling sky, earthquakes, lightening etc., It’s like the end of the world! I am leaping from crater to crater with fork lightening barely missing me. BUT… I never get hurt or swallowed up by it.
The other is to do with what I’m wearing (or not) as the case may be, and I’m trying not to be seen – horrible!
Babs (Beetle)’s last blog post..The games children played
March 20th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Is that a Burger King wrapper on the desk?
windyridge’s last blog post..Happy Spring?
March 20th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I only wish I could keep track of my dreams. I wake up from impossibly ridiculous dreams nearly every night of the week and have learned to just ignore them and go back to sleep. I could become famous as a case study if I ever documented them.
In the meantime, thanks to your clown picture I’ll now have a new dream to look forward to… or should I say nightmare?!!!
Jeff’s last blog post..How to live like a rock star… AND shed unwanted pounds!
March 20th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Oh my god. I have the contact lens dream! Except in mine, the contact lens is not the size of a punch bowl, but it is big, much bigger than my normal lens and I stand there with this massive lens on my fingers wondering how I am going to put it in my eye. This situation will crop up in the middle of other dreams. I will be doing something else and all of a sudden there is the giant contact lens. My subconscious has seen this so many times it now goes, “not the fucking contact lens again!”.
I really want to know what it means.
Riayn’s last blog post..By: magneto bold too
March 20th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I have the usual collection of school dreams: I usually can’t find my locker. If I find it, most of the time I can’t get it open. On the rare occasions I actually get it open, my books fall on me or are so packed in that I can’t find what I need. Another fun one has me taking a test on a subject I know absolutely nothing about.
All these dreams come in two flavors, naked and non-naked.
Carla @ WordPlay’s last blog post..Book Review: Punctuation Clarified with Humor in “Eats, Shoots & Leaves”
March 21st, 2008 at 12:14 am
Here’s a link to a list of all my blog entries about my dreams on my Blog City Blog.
http://confessionsofalibertine.blog-city.com/tags/?/dreams
Libertine’s last blog post..White Guilt?
March 21st, 2008 at 2:18 am
I dream that I fly a lot, and when I’m in the air, I have to move my arms like I’m swimming, or I’ll drop like a potato. I wonder what it all means… Hmmm…
March 21st, 2008 at 4:31 am
KFJ — Would you help me pay for it, too? Cuz it’s gonna be a loooong visit!
Susan — This made me laugh. What a visual! Isn’t it neat how you can keep the chicken at bay in your dreams? Even though we might have a scary dream, we have some power to keep threats, or chickens, at arm’s length.
Babs (Beetle) — Just last night, I was in a thunderstorm at the ocean, but I was in grade school (??) Waves were a hundred feet high, but didn’t get near me. I think I dreamed that because I just read your comment before going to bed. Weird!
windyridge — You have a keen eye. That is a Burger King bag indeed. Also, if you look very carefully, you’ll see a 1950’s black phone whose paint has worn right off the receiver (see the white?) We had that phone for decades!
Jeff — I forget most of mine as well. The only reason I remember these is because they insist on popping up again and again. Hope no clowns came calling last night.
Riayn — OK, here’s something I found about contact lens dreams. It makes perfect sense to me because I’m always worried about ripping one. Not so much because of their expense, but rather if I’m down to my last pair and I have to rush to get replacements.
Carla @ WordPlay — Oh, yes! yes! I’ve had dreams where I’m in college again and I haven’t attended any classes, yet I have to write a term paper at the last minute to pass the class. Terrifying!
Libertine — It’s great you’ve documented your dreams so well. What a treasure trove you’ve amassed!
Corrina — I love flying in dreams. Some dream interpretation sites say it can be a good or bad omen to fly in dreams. I just think it’s fun!
March 21st, 2008 at 5:44 am
That makes perfect sense. I don’t wear disposable contact lenses because they don’t make them in a size that fits my eyes. Also, I don’t have a pair of glasses. If something happens to my contact lenses, it means I can’t see until I get them replaced. No wonder I dream about something happening to them.
Riayn’s last blog post..By: magneto bold too
March 21st, 2008 at 5:47 am
Riayn — I’m cracking up here, because I still don’t know why the dreams have us using gigantic lenses. It’s so funny to me to have this big bowl of a lens on my finger.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:08 am
I don’t have very many recurring dreams, but I do have recurring themes. One is a variation on being in college and I realize that I haven’t attended class for several weeks, there’s an exam coming up, and the class is the last requirement for graduation.
Lately, I’ve also been having a lot of dreams about my first girlfriend. I haven’t seen her for almost twenty years, and she broke up with me almost 35 years ago. And, shhhhhh….don’t tell my wife.
March 21st, 2008 at 10:21 am
I used to have this dream where I would be at a circus on one of those REALLY high tight ropes, but its more like a pole. With red and white stripes. So, I would be walking until I suddenly fall. I keep falling forever, until I hit a big drum shaped thing that’s white on the top and red and white stripes on the sides….
March 21st, 2008 at 10:29 am
Alright – the heck with all the other pics of you that you’ve posted. That clown pic takes the cake.
I don’t dream. Believe it or not, I don’t. However, I may start having scary Kathy-Clown nightmares now…
March 21st, 2008 at 11:18 am
That’s it. Thanks to you and Libertine I’m going to try to do the same thing. Every now and then I’ll remember a crazy dream in the morning and laugh about it on the way to work. Why not start writing them down and sharing them? It’s not like people think I’m normal in the first place.
Jeff’s last blog post..How to live like a rock star… AND shed unwanted pounds!
March 21st, 2008 at 11:44 am
Kathy:
Your dream was certainly interesting. I’d say you have a very active mind that’s filled with all sorts of goofy information that’s just waiting to get out. Evidently, you only trust the healing power of Pixie Stixs. It’s good to have faith in something.
Last night I dreamed I was eating a flour tortilla covered with jalpeno peppers and smothered in cheese. What’s up with that?
Have a very nice day.
Swubird’s last blog post..NEVER HIT A WOMAN!
March 21st, 2008 at 11:52 am
I have the contact lens dream, too!! I also have one where all my teeth fall out.
March 21st, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I don’t tend to have dreams such as this. Most of my dreams are somewhat surreal dreams where I am observing something or have to figure something out. And, while I am dreaming, I know I am dreaming and I am always amused at what the next scene will be, like ‘wow…this is weird dream’.
Now my wife, is another story, every dream she has involves a bathroom for some reason….freaky.
Bruce’s last blog post..My – POV
March 21st, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I love my flying dreams. I can take off with the ease of wind and swoop and loop over anything.
They don’t come so often anymore…maybe because I rarely sleep all through the night anymore.
and I really miss them when they hide from me – the dreams and the sleep
March 21st, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I think lots of people have they flying dream. I think that’s the only reoccuring dream that I have.
The ones that I don’t care for are the ones that make me wake up horny…I always wonder if I’ve touched myself outside of my dream and does my hubby know. ugh
March 21st, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Hi Kathy,
You defintely have me beaten in the weird dreams category. I usually have the dumbest dreams where I suddenly find myself back to work at previous jobs I’ve had and wondering how the hell I got back there. I recently had a dream where I was back in the police department and I had to work in plain clothes because none of my old uniforms fit anymore (I’ve put on a few pounds in the past nine years). I have an occasional nightmare which annoys me because in my nightmares I know that I am experiencing one and I feel stupid for not waking up. But, I have to hand it to you, your’s are pretty funny. The balloons…that has to be you suffocating under the mountain of idiotic IT helpdesk calls you’ve had over the years.
“My internet only gets Yahoo! I want Google”.
That’s the type of calls I used to get, so no wonder you’re having dreams where clowns come to your rescue. You have to have a sense of humor to deal with a lot of the stuff that folks with computer problems can toss at you in a typical day. Thanks for the chuckle. I’ll talk to you soon.
Mr. Grudge’s last blog post..Writing Excercise: Creating Now for Later
March 21st, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Lee — I have the college graduation one, too. Somehow I think I can pass, but there’s no time left. Stuff of nightmares. As for your first girlfriend dream? Your secret’s safe with me.
Regan — Sounds like you’re having a combination of my 1st and 2nd dreams. Clowns and falling. Double-whammy!
Grant — I wore something similar to work for Halloween once. Huge red shoes, full face paint. The works. I only scared one person. As soon as I knew she was anti-clown, I left quickly. I hope that vision of me doesn’t cause you nightmares.
Jeff — If I don’t mention or record the details of a dream within a couple minutes of waking, it’s all lost. I should keep a notebook on the nightstand. If nothing else, it may give me ideas to feed off for blog posts. Do share yours some day!
Swubird — Pixie Stix are the candy of the devil. Pure sugar with a little flavoring. The giant stix were about three feet long. I don’t know why my mother let me buy them. Your food dream sounds DE-lish! I want that for dinner now.
Heather — I’m so glad I posted about this because the comments are reminding me of dreams I’ve had, but forgotten. I have had the “teeth falling out” dream before. My teeth were misshapen and thin. I made the realization that they weren’t worth saving, so I started chomping away on them and they broke and crumbled like glass. I spit them out and was left with nothing but gums. And then I woke up. And what is with the contact lens dream?!?!
Bruce — Do you consider yourself an analytical person in your waking life? Maybe you take to your dreams the way you look at life. Your wife? Not sure what’s going on there, but she’s no worse off than I am!
Augusto — Flying is awesome in a dream. I’m always safe doing it. What I need to figure out is how to fly in my bridge nightmare. Then I could just fly right down to the ground! Sweet dreams to you.
March 21st, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I always dream about starting a job or classes and forgetting to go or otherwise screwing it up.
Marie’s last blog post..Hold the phone…
March 21st, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Lori — I’ve read flying is one of the most popular dreams. Your other one? Jury’s still out on that.
Mr. Grudge — I would think you have the market cornered on bad dreams, being an ex-cop and all. But perhaps you’ve learned to compartmentalize everything you saw, even in your sleep! You’ve reminded me of my favorite saying of my brother’s. When asked “How’s it goin’?” he responds, “Same circus, different clowns.”
Marie — It’s no wonder we have the dreams we do. All the stress we probably suppress during the day has to come out somewhere, dreaming being the healthiest way.
March 21st, 2008 at 4:34 pm
That clown picture is going to give me nightmares.
I have long, vivid, exhausting dreams every night. It’s like watching several movies. Last night I dreamt that there was all this cat fur in the dryer among my clothes. As I went through my pile of clothes, at the bottom, was an actual kitten, made, presumably, from all the extra cat fur. As you may know, we’re thinking of naming our next kitten Prudence. So the dream kitten was named Prudence. Until we found out she was a he, so we named her Brutus, because that sounded kind of like Prudence.
Sorry you asked?
(love the contact lens dream!)
JD’s last blog post..I Announce the Winners of the Vocabulary Skillzzz Contest! so you don’t have to
March 21st, 2008 at 5:28 pm
One of my recurring dreams is I am sliding down a slide at high speed and suddenly waking up sliding on my bed !
The other one that occurs more frequently is that I am free falling and seeing myself thousands of feet in air over a large city.
Unfortunately I always wake up in the middle of it !
March 21st, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Rooms and houses are dream representations of our own selves. A room full of balloons is clearly you being overwhelmed with too much in your life. The creepy clown hero represents whatever it is that can or will relieve your overwhelming factors.
(I’m making most of that up but not all of it)
The ride on the girder is simply not being in control of something in your life.
God only knows about the wacky contact dreams. The scariest thing for me is that there seem to be others like you out there!!!
March 21st, 2008 at 9:12 pm
My recurring themes:
I am flying down the road in a car, and it becomes a cart, then a dinner plate with wheels. I have to consciously relax and fall into deeper sleep or whatever the conveyance is, it gets smaller and smaller until there’s nothing but a mobile coaster of some kind between my butt and the road. But I’m still going 60
I’m in school again, and no one believes me when I try to tell them I’ve already done it, I am late for a class and forgot I was supposed to be taking it and haven’t been there in weeks.
I’m in college, and I keep trying to get to my mailbox. If I get there, its stuffed with letters and packages but I can’t get it open or otherwise can’t get to them. There’s a sense of despair that goes along with that dream.
When I was younger I had power over the bogeymen in dreams; if something was chasing me I would stop, turn to face it, and say “No!” and it would disappear. If only that worked with anxiety attacks.
Shieldmaiden1196’s last blog post..Four Things
March 21st, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Great. Now those nightmares of humor-bloggers in clown get-ups are going to return.
Thanks a heap, Kathy.
😉
Don’s last blog post..Ponderings of a Single Dad
March 21st, 2008 at 10:17 pm
It’s so obvious … you’re sexually repressed. 😉
DrowseyMonkey’s last blog post..Jerusalem Photos
March 22nd, 2008 at 5:14 am
JD — Cool movie! “Tonight, the role of Prudence will be played by Brutus.” For the record, I find the equivalent of one cat’s fur on my clothes all the time.
Jaffer — Just the other night I dreamt I was hanging from a tree about 300 feet in the air. Terrifying! I had the dream because someone jokingly said if I was chased by a big dog, to climb the nearest tree.
FerdC — I don’t know about the contact lens dream either, but I’ll admit I’m somewhat overwhelmed with blogging duties. Maybe the stress of trying to think of a new post every other day?
Shieldmaiden1196 — Your first theme sounds a little like this dream I had. I was in a plane, but it seemed like a car, but was still a plane. The school nightmares are the worst. The thought of doing it all over again makes me want to cry. Good for you on showing the Boogey Man who’s boss!
Don — I’m sorry. You know what it is? It’s the face paint. Clowns are a lot less scary when you can see their eyes normally. I promise I won’t post another one!
DrowseyMonkey — I think I’m blog-stressed. I don’t know how you publish two posts a day! Where do you find the time?!?
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:36 am
You are a great writer and storyteller but I think one of the things that makes your blog really more special is that you respond to the comments and it makes it more like a conversation with a friend.
Thanks
March 22nd, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Augusto — Thank you so much! I’m flattered. I like to think of The Junk Drawer as a place for people to hang out, chat and share a few laughs. Half the fun of running this thing is all the comments I’m fortunate enough to get. I do see it as a conversation myself, so I’m glad you see it that way too. Have a great weekend!
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:03 pm
I’ve totally had that exact same contact lens dream. Freaky.
I also had a dream where all of my teeth fell out. And I woke up and thought, “Whew! Thank goodness that was a dream.”
Then the next night I had a dream where all of my teeth fell out, and in the dream I thought, “Wow, I was dreaming about this and now it’s really happening!”
Then I had the same dream about 30 more times. D’oh!
It got so bad I told my dentist about it, half-complaining, half-joking. He was completely unimpressed and said it is a terribly common dream. Who knew!?
Jen P’s last blog post..Waiting For The Sun
March 24th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Jen P — We are not alone! Yea! So glad you took the teeth falling out dream to an authority. It cracks me up that many people must wake up some days thinking they have nothing left but gums. WEIRD!
March 26th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Wow. Everybody and their dreams. I don’t have dreams, at least not any I remember. If I wake up remembering a dream its really rare.
March 27th, 2008 at 4:57 am
2sweetnsaxy — I know! I cracked up reading all of these. Now I don’t feel so crazy. Sweet dreams….
March 30th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Dreams are pretty wacky that’s for sure. The other night I had a dream that I needed to make an emergency run to my mother in laws house which is 3 hours away bring a frozen lasagna and sausages. Not to eat though, she needed it because she ran out of firewood, and needed something to burn. And this was logical to me at the time. so strange.
BTW I enjoy your blog very much! It’s very entertaining.
March 30th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
michele — Why, of course! Everyone knows lasagna and sausage make a perfect fire. Too funny. Thank you for the compliment. Come back soon, good to have you!