I have had my fair share of dreams thru the years. Unfortunately, however, I do not seem to have the more common dreams (or nightmares) that have an explanation in the Dream Dictionary. Recently, however, I realized there is a common denominator with the dreams I vividly remember having thru the years…Home.
- There is the childhood dream of returning home from a family outing to witness the family home on fire.
- Then, there is the reoccurring childhood nightmare that evil has transcended upon the family home, which has you fleeing to the closest neighbor’s house. In most (but not all) of these dreams, you unknowingly leave behind other family members and pets as you desperately seek safety. In your haste, you think everyone is beside or behind you. It is only when you have escaped immediate danger that you realize that everyone else must still in the house. You decide to go back and try to retrieve the family and pets you left behind.
- More often than not, it would be the thoughts that I would never get home, or be late getting home for the tiny human’s dance recital, late for work, anxious to see your Ark of animals, late to celebrate Momma Bootsie’s 91st Birthday, etc…, that would, perhaps, be the major component to the reoccurring anxieties of these dreams.
- There is the dream when I am summoned to deliver a message to my Director, who just boarded the company plane headed for corporate headquarters. The pilot does not know I am on the plane and precedes to taxi down the runway. NOTE: This may be a good time to mention I have severe panic attacks when flying! Suddenly, I realize I am bound for Mississippi, despite my attempts to get the plane to stop. In mid flight, I desperately decide to launch the emergency slide to descend into the unknown. After landing somewhere in the river/marsh, I make my way to the nearest building. You guessed it…despite my futil actions, I end up at the airport anyway! Upon entry, I discover the corporate plane landed and WE are now headed to meetings at home office. Knowing I am NOT staying for scheduled duration NOR am I getting back on the plane when scheduled to depart, I call my dad to see if he could drive two states over to pick me up. He agrees and arrives when corporate family was boarding the plane once again…this time to return home! As dad and I leave the airport (it is crucial to point out here that my Dad never, ever moves in a hurry), he announces we are going to take a scenic route thru Alabama, as we return home. We finally arrive home 2 days AFTER corporate…ugh!
- There is the dream that I am on business travel and as I am driving, there are parts and pieces of the engine falling on the floor board beneath my feet.
- There is the dream that I end up in an unfamiliar exit tunnel on travel where gangster trolls reside. The only right of passage is your cash to get home.
- There is the more recent dream where I am on travel (with kids or friends) and we are heading back to the interstate when I make a premature turn. While the side trip proved to be very quaint and charming, we found ourselves configuring a maze of sorts…circles, dead ends, road blocks, etc. Finally, we decide to stop at a magnificent house that seemed to stand out from the other unique homes. Although welcoming, the apparent gypsies refuse to give us directions back to the interstate without monetary compensation. Without a doubt, the deceptive community has extorted a generous living off of travelers and commuters before.
- Then there was the real life dream of traveling to NYC with my bff and brother. The realities of the big city, left me yearning for a return to the marsh, beach, salt air, green grass and trees of home. The turbulent flight home was less than pleasant with snack trays flying down the aisles, stewardesses buckling up in their seats and my brother nervously announcing the experience was not any worse than a week of riding in NYC taxi cabs. When we landed in Charlotte, I immediately called our parents to inform them that we were NOT getting on the connecting flight and there would need to be alternate arrangements made for us to get back home. Needless to say, we had not come up with any reasonable options when they called for passengers to begin boarding the connecting flight home. We reluctantly boarded the plane. As fate would have it, the rest of the journey home was quiet, calm and peaceful.
I am by no means a dream interpreter but in each case, there is the fear of not returning home and/or delayed in returning home.
Know the schedule of your restless sleep patterns. Best to stay awake a few hours longer than your normal bedtime for sleep straight thru the night. If not, and you should awaken between 11 pm and 2 am, figure on blogging or reading in order to fall asleep again. If you should awaken between 3 and 4 am, you can count on falling back to sleep until 5am but this will be when you are likely to have sweet dreams or vivid nightmares. You are likely to awaken before any conclusion. This will have you longing for closure or relieved of the inconclusive ending.
Now, there are cases when one cannot wait to leave the perceived imprisonment of their childhood home or to escape their all too familiar hometown in search of some new experience or adventure. In fact, I fell into this same idyllic way of thinking. It was not until I returned home after 4 years of college, work and travel, when I realized that everything I was searching for was in my hometown all along…and more.
Although travel is a necessity in some cases, I have never felt the need to travel to escape life at home. Indeed, I am fortunate to live where alot of people wish to vacation, retire or raise a family but it goes without saying that there is nothing like the view or the smell of salt air once you turn onto the main artery that will take you home after a sprint away.
A home is not defined by a specific dwelling or structure but an area or location, in general. It is where memories are made…childhood, friends, family, weddings, children, funerals, etc. While most memories may be favorable, others may be sad, challenging, stressful, depressing…but in the end it is a place where you hold roots. It is a place where you may find find the meager comforts of home familiar, secure, safe, where you have the unconditional love of pets, raising children, disagreements, changes, growth, solitude, hosting neighborhood children, meals, homework, school projects, warm fires, holidays, debates, creativity, harvesting garden gifts, celebrations, sorrows, grievances, strength, weaknesses…but most of all, love, encouragement, support, identity and trust. Home is where the heart is… there is no place like home.
When I join my sisterhood caravan in retirement years, it will be an opportune time to build on my memories away from home…but I will always look forward to the day when I return to or visit my roots. There is also the distinct realization that my camper (or converted horse trailer) may never depart the driveway…but perhaps a place to convene with my sisterhood without leaving where it all began…
What is your most memorable dream(s)? What do you think the meaning of these dream(s) signify?
Homestead Memoirs 
Amazing how our dreams reflect our true loves as well as fears!
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