March 30

 

I am talking with a friend from work. We have not seen each other in a while, and we are getting caught up. He is asking how my work is going. I tell him I am still teaching but not as much as I used to. I tell him that I am also now receiving Social Security income and he agrees that it was a good idea to finally apply for it. He asks me if I still read a lot. I say yes but more so for my interests instead of reading to enhance my classes. He says it’s important to take time for yourself. He asks about a colleague of ours and I tell him that I have seen this person recently. We were at the same event and we danced together for about 3 songs. As I say this I imagine that it would be fun to go out with this friend that I am getting caught up with. Then I remember that he is happily married.

March 28

I am in an elementary school with my friend who is a teacher. She shows me a classroom and then she leads me into another room to show me what she has knitted. It appears to be a giant ornament at least one foot long and even wider. It is knit out of red, gray and black yarn and I find it extremely ugly. I can’t figure out what anyone would do with it, but I keep the comment to myself. She shows me another ‘ornament’ knit with the same pattern and yarn color. This one she says is not as attractive as the first one since the design is a bit skewed making the ‘ornament’ appear lopsided. It is even uglier than the first one. Again, I keep the comment to myself as she appears very proud of her work. She walks me to the school exit and asks how my parents are doing. I tell her they have both died and that I miss my father who was very sweet.

March 27

Dream 1

I am outside with my pets. I have 3 cats, a small dog, and a bulldog. The bulldog breaks free from the leash he’s on and runs across the street. He jumps on a man that I realize is a former university professor. At first I believe that the bulldog has attacked him, but then I see that he is laughing. I am relieved and try to figure out how to retrieve the dog while still keeping an eye on my other pets.

Dream 2

For an unknown reason I am walking down the street naked. Initially I do not see this as a problem until I encounter a group of school kids and one of the boys harasses me. I keep walking to get away from him and realize that I have to go somewhere to find some clothes. I arrive at a bus stop and decide to hide in a bathroom stall until I find a way to get some clothes. As I get there I find that a bus has just arrived and there are dozens of people waiting to use the bathroom. I take a seat to wait for an empty stall. While I wait I drape a long scarf around myself which covers my breasts and part of my thighs. No one seems to notice my situation. I spot a former neighbor who I know will help. I ask her to please go to her home and return with some clothes for me, so she does. She holds up two outfits. One is a skirt and shirt. The skirt has a tiny waistline and I know there is no way that it will fit me. The other outfit is a new dress. It’s yellow and buttons up the front. The buttons are in the shape of miniature clothespins and it takes me a while to do them but at least I have something to wear.

March 26

I am in a dark parking lot at night and my car is broken down. I am trying to determine what is wrong with it. I have a bright light that I am shining under my car, but I realize that I do not know what to look for. In the distance I can see vehicles, bright lights, and cop cars. I’m not sure if they are responding to an accident or what else may be going on. I stand with my light trying to get their attention wondering if they can possibly see me from that far off.

March 21

I am with my cousin and one other unknown person. We are younger but not children. We are in her neighbor’s house, a middle-aged couple, where my cousin and I occasionally visit. The visits are unplanned and simply consist of her knocking on their door and waiting to be welcomed in. It’s usually just the woman who is at home when we are there, but today her husband is home, and their adult daughter is visiting. We enter the home, walk through the kitchen where the 3 adults are and go into what appears to be a dining room. I am holding a Clorox wipe balled up into my hand so as to be unnoticed. I want to know how clean the neighbor is. We are in the dining room unchaperoned, so I swipe the wipe across what appears to be a desk and the wipe comes up a bit dirty. I then notice a smudge on the dining room table and am headed towards it when the neighbor calls us out to the kitchen. We have to cut the visit short since her daughter is visiting. The woman is standing near the door as if to imply it’s time to go, while her husband is washing dishes and their daughter is drying them. I turn to the daughter and smile as I walk by and am met with an icy glare. She is clearly offended at our presence, and I sense distrust as if she will go check to see if anything is missing the moment we leave.

March 18

I am in a very crowded church sitting in one of the last rows. After I am seated, a young man enters and makes his way to the pew where I sit. He sidles past me and sits near the person closest to my right. He is holding two tee shirts that are perfectly folded as if in a store display. He interrupts the priest leading the service to announce that he has found two tee shirts left behind by someone from a previous service and that if anyone has lost them to see him. The priest pauses for a moment and then continues the service. Meanwhile to my left is seated a woman who appears very bored. She fidgets and sighs and I wonder why she is there. In an effort to address her boredom she loudly and obtrusively engages with a baby that someone has brought to church. The woman who brought the baby heads to the rear of the church to exit only to be followed by the bored woman who is now waving a baby toy in a last-ditch effort to be amusing.

March 16

 

Dream 1

I am in my apartment with my oldest son. He steps out to do something quickly and I accidentally lock the door while he is out. He taps quietly on the door to be let back in.

Dream 2

I am walking down a hall with two other women. We are dressed for work in skirts and heels and appear to be either coworkers or colleagues headed for a meeting. One of the women is carrying a large box holding it out in front of her. The box appears to be very heavy as if it might hold something like an air conditioner. She seems unbothered though. When I notice that she has balanced her heavy-duty briefcase on top of the box, I remove the briefcase and carry it for her without saying anything. She also says nothing. We continue on to our destination and realize we must have taken a wrong turn since we find ourselves on a rooftop with nowhere to go but down.

Dream 3

I am working on logistics with contestants from American Idol. This is the start of the season and contestants are arriving, but plans have gone awry. Transportation and lodging plans are falling apart and we keep having to reroute the contestants. This involves a lot of walking alongside rural roadways while dragging luggage along. They are hot, hungry, and tired when we finally arrive at what looks like a hotel lobby. Some of the contestants are actively complaining about the detours and delays while others appear good-natured about the experience. I feel like a participant observer as I listen to the combination of whining and excited bantering. I wonder to myself whether these snafus are intentional to get a glimpse of the personalities onboard.

 

March 15

Dream 1

I am working at a camp where I am tasked with cleaning up specific lots. This involves lots of physical movement lifting, dragging, clearing out areas. I run into my friend. It is unclear whether my friend works there also or whether she is my supervisor. She comments on my work and moves on.

Dream 2

I am in an auditorium watching a live show. Someone has asked me to hold their sleeping infant during the show. I hesitate since I do not want to cause any type of commotion if the infant wakes and  starts to cry, but I agree. After a while the infant begins to wriggle and I know they are about to cry. I get up and scramble over to a few rows in front of me when someone hands me a bottle. I return to my seat and feed the baby who is now content.

Dream 3

I am at Old Orchard Beach with a friend. I am in the ladies room changing my sanitary napkin which is difficult to do since a stream of women exit and enter my stall as I am trying to do this. I finally succeed and exit. I search for my friend who I have now last track of. He suddenly bounds up to my side chatting excitedly about how he wants to stay in OOB since he believes he just found a job. I, on the other hand, can’t wait to leave.

Dream 4

I am walking on a sidewalk with my ex-husband. We are both much younger versions of ourselves. I am wearing a jean jacket, a tight short jean skirt and stiletto heels. My hair is long and loose. Our arms are wrapped around each other as we walk, not so much as a romantic gesture, but more so of two people trying to keep themselves upright. I am having trouble walking in my shoes. 

March 13

Dream 1

I am teaching at a community college. The class has only 7 or 8 students in it. The class ends at 5:00p.m. At 4:50, a tall woman who is a student in the 5:00 class immediately after mine walks into my classroom although she can clearly see that it is occupied. I tell her that class is still in session and that she can enter after we leave. She exits the room. I continue to teach. At 4:55 the teacher who will occupy the classroom while teaching a class beginning at 5:00 enters the room. I tell him as well that we have 5 minutes left. He appears very ‘put out,’ mutters under his breath, and exits the classroom. I continue to teach.

Dream 2

I am sorting several shirts on hangers with my mother at the house I grew up in. The shirts are currently in a large closet. We are removing several of them and rearranging others on different hangers. I wonder aloud where all these small shirts come from. None of them look familiar to me and they are certainly not shirts that I would ever wear. I wonder if they are my sisters. I also wonder where my shirts are since they are not in the closet.

March 12

Dream 1

I am working at a location during the summer where different groups of people can schedule and hold retreats for their company, school, etc. A busload of people pulls up and they are not scheduled. However, there are so many participants that the owner knows this will be lucrative so we are not to turn the individuals away. We are to act as if we have planned for their arrival. They stream off of the bus waving banners and wearing tee shirts saying ‘I fist for Jesus.’ We assume that this a religious group although the motto is questionable. Nevertheless, we put our heads together, pull out our clipboards and charts, and start planning how we can make lodging and mealtimes  work for a group this size.

Dream 2

I am outside of my house looking at a horse drawn carriage parked by the side of the road with my youngest son near it. I am standing near a cowboy who is waiting for him to get ready. My son has taken an acting gig whereby he must be comfortable leading the horses and driving the wagon. I can tell from what he is wearing that he has thrown together his outfit by selecting clothes from the costume stash he has at home. Most noticeable are the glittery leg warmers he is wearing scrunched into a manner in which they keep his rolled-up pant legs from coming down. As we wait for my son to check the reins, etc. before they drive off, I catch the cowboy giving me the side eye as if to say, ‘Are you sure he knows what he’s doing?’

Dream 3

I come home to an absolute mess. Clothes is strewn everywhere including what looks like a giant pile of laundry draped across the kitchen counter. The house is a disaster. My youngest son is zooming around quickly getting ready for school, so he doesn’t have time to explain what happened. He rushes past me on his way to run out the door. I tell him to be careful not to slip since I have placed a stack of notebooks on the walkway that he needs for school. He grabs them on his way by and rushes out to his sporty car.  

March 11

Dream 1

I have spent some time with my ex-husband. Although we have enjoyed each other’s company it is clear that I do not plan on making any type of commitment. I am in a parking lot packing a SUV so tightly that I can barely shut the door. He is standing near me asking me to reconsider my leaving, but I have made my decision. He walks away and returns holding a piece of lilac looseleaf paper on which he has written me a letter. The letter is unfolded. As I glance at it I notice what I consider to be child-like writing and I am reminded that one of the reasons I left initially was due to his juvenile behavior.

Dream 2

I am in a type of shop that an airport might have although it is unclear whether I am actually in an airport. I am with my children. My oldest son needs a winter jacket, but it is the season when there are very few, if any, in stock. We spot a rack with a few garments on it and walk over. My youngest son lingers behind. We are immediately struck by a bright color. I lift the hanger off the rack to find a lime green short-cropped fleece-lined pullover jacket with a cartoon character on the front. He says, ‘Oh, yeah,’ and immediately pulls it over his head. I turn towards the rack to see what else they might have. When I turn back towards him, he’s gone. Instead, I find a bulldog wearing the pullover that my son was just trying on. It’s too big for the dog so he’s getting his front legs caught in the fabric.

March 10

Dream 1

I am walking my dog, a small beagle, down a street with the understanding that the end of the street is a trail we can connect to. We get to the end of the street and find a sharp narrow drop off that looks much more like a crevice than a trail. I attempt to lower myself into it but then decide that this is a bad idea so we scramble back out of it.

Dream 2

I am home in my apartment. Suddenly my neighbor pokes her head in, since my kitchen door has been left ajar. She is trailed by about 10 people who she has directed to my place believing that I was expecting them. They stream into my kitchen, and I am baffled about what they are doing there. Uninvited to, they all pull up chairs and make themselves at home in my compact kitchen. A woman who I understand to be their leader speaks to me at low volume. I realize now that these people represent a non-profit organization that I had inquired about volunteering for. I’m baffled at how a mere inquiry could result in this heavy-handed attempt at recruitment. I can’t even figure out how they know where I live. The presumed leader continues to speak to me, but she speaks so low that I cannot hear most of what she is saying even if I lean my head towards her. I become so frustrated that I decide to demonstrate what effective public speaking looks like. I stand in the middle of my kitchen and I begin to speak while projecting my voice to everyone in attendance. It occurs to me after I start talking that I don’t really know what I want to say to this group.

Dream 3

A young child of maybe 3 or 4 years old has been staying with me and my family for unknown reasons. I am in a room with this child while other members of my family go about their day. I bend down and wrap this child into a warm hug. The child is wearing two-piece footed pajamas with a white patterned top and blue bottoms and grinning from ear to ear. I realize as I release my hug that I am going to adopt this child.

March 9

 

I am on the side of the road in Winthrop ME. I can see and hear the cop cars approaching. I stand and wait for them. I know I have committed a crime although I do not know why. I have murdered my mother.

March 6

 

For an unknown reason I am on foot and I need to find a place to spend the night. I realize that I am near my uncle’s house, so I approach. He lives there with my cousin who is a grown woman and has never married. I’m hesitantly invited into their home, but it becomes clear that they don’t really want me there. As soon as I enter the house, they both retreat into different rooms and ignore me. Not knowing what to do, I sit in the foyer on a wooden bench that resembles a church pew and is just as uncomfortable. The house is cold so I keep my winter jacket on and huddle as best as I can to stay warm. I realize that they have no intention of inviting me into another more comfortable part of the house. After a while I fall asleep. When I wake up I notice that my uncle and cousin are seated to the left of me on a separate bench. They are sleeping and his arm hangs loosely across my cousin’s shoulder. The fact that they are sleeping there is very odd and I wonder if they are intentionally keeping an eye on me. I also think it’s odd that my uncle has slung his arm across my cousin. I cannot fall back asleep because I have to go to the bathroom very badly. I know where the bathroom is, I can see it from where I am sitting, but the door is shut. I hesitate but then I realize that we are the only three people in the house so it must be unoccupied. I quietly walk past my sleeping relatives because I don’t want to wake them. I decide I’ll go use the bathroom and then I’ll leave. I open the bathroom door and find that the floor is flooded. There is at least one inch of water and clothes left lying there, a bath mat, and other assorted items are saturated. There is no way to reach the toilet without slogging through the mess and I don’t want to do that. As I’m standing there wondering what to do my cousin walks up behind me and heads to the toilet seeming unbothered by the flooding and oblivious to my presence. I’m simultaneously contemplating whether I should walk out while she is peeing, why the hell she is not perturbed by any of this, and how the water is managing to not run into the adjoining hallway. Before I can say anything, my cousin flushes the toilet. When she does, the water from the floor rushes into a drain I had not noticed before as if the floor were one big shower area. I stand there wondering whether I should now use the bathroom but decide that it’s best to leave.

March 5

 

I am on the ground floor of what appears to be a refurbished warehouse or possibly an old cruise ship. It’s huge and seemingly endless. The floor is full of building materials like columns and different types of furniture. It is understood that my sister has a boyfriend and he lives on this floor. The area is not separated from the other materials. It simply blends in. His decorated open area is tasteful and formal looking like a page from Architectural Digest. All of his furnishings are in off-white except for two brown leather couches. One couch is within his decorated area while the other one is immediately outside of it in what might be a patio if this were a traditional setting. My son and his girlfriend are seated on the couch on the ‘would be’ patio. They are dressed for a night out. I stop and talk to them on my way by and I tell them that this is where my sister’s boyfriend lives. They are simultaneously surprised and delighted.

March 4

 

Dream 1

I am a server working in a nightclub. I am in a small room that is very dark. One customer is in the room sitting at a small round table big enough for just him. We are the only two people in the room. He is an older distinguished looking man and my only customer for the night. Even between courses, I must stay in the room at his beck and call. I am initially resentful that I have to dedicate myself to this man for the entire evening and expect to have a lousy evening. But he starts talking to me and is not at all what I imagined. He is friendly, very witty, and I discover that we share similar political leanings. He lampoons a national leader that we both think is an idiot, and I am greatly amused.

Dream 2

I am at some type of dinner or awards ceremony. Several people are seated around three long tables placed in a U-shape. My son and I are at the event, but we are seated at a small round table located behind the U-shaped table. A well-known transgendered performer stands at the head of the U-shaped table and sings a song. Towards the end of the song, the performer walks towards our small table. While still singing she removes her wig and snips off a few strands of blue hair which she then places on my son’s head. The hair extends onto my son’s forehead making it appear that he is wearing blue bangs.

March 3

 

I am at a wake, but it is unclear whose. I have been there a while and am standing near the casket. My ex-husband walks in and approaches me. I let him pay his respects and I lower my eyes. As I do, I notice indentations in the plush rug. It looks like something has poked the rug in several places leaving marks. I realize what it is when I notice that my ex is wearing stiletto heels and leaving a trail behind him.

March 2

Dream 1

I am getting ready to go somewhere and someone is waiting while I desperately search for my lipstick so we can go. I find it, hold it up victoriously, and he laughs.

Dream 2

I am in a parking lot. I see my former sister-in-law dressed in all black biker gear with matching flowing hair striking a pose on a Harley while her partner laughs at her antics.

Dream 3

I am in an unidentified location with my mother and my son. My mother is berating my son for unknown reasons which is upsetting me and I tell her so.

Dream 4

I am in my kitchen with my son. I am kneeling on the floor near the pet dishes while I watch my cat drinking water. He backs up to me and sits in a comfortable position on my lap. I look at my son and tear up because I know that my cat will soon die.

Dream 5

I am in a public bathroom checking my sanitary napkin in one of the stalls. I am caught off guard since I need to change it, and I don’t have any clean ones with me. A woman enters the stall next to mine. I think of asking her if she might have one but before I can, a crumpled piece of soiled toilet paper lands on the floor of my stall. I am so disgusted that I don’t know how to proceed.

Dream 6

There is an art competition among staff at the university where I work. Each participant has a wooden column that they must design based on their tastes. I see the finalists and the results all look incredibly similar. The judges manage to select a winner. Because the columns look so similar, there is confusion as to who designed the winning entry. One of the employees claims it is his. Upon further investigation it is determined that he is lying since the winning entry had a few red splotches at the base, and the column he claims is his does not. The more he defends himself, the more obvious it becomes that he is being deceitful.

March 1

I am one of the parent organizers/volunteers for a junior high school academic based competition. My son is involved in the competition, but I am not in the same room as him. I am stationed at a desk inside the entrance of the school checking other parents in as they arrive for their ‘shift.’ A parent who I recognize as someone I went to elementary school with arrives. She is not happy about volunteering which makes me then wonder why she did. To demonstrate how busy she is, she shows up holding a large yellow pyrex mixing bowl with ingredients that she is in the middle of stirring. I see sliced apple chunks and a large spoon sticking out of her batter.

February 28

 

Dream 1

I am in the parking lot of a grocery store. I see one Black man and two Black women in the same parking lot. They are so elegantly dressed they stand out. They are accompanied with perfectly groomed dogs of a small breed who carry themselves regally. The scene switches to where we are all now in the grocery store (without the dogs). I am in the same aisle as the two women while the man is in the next aisle. The shelves are low allowing us to easily see from one aisle to the next. The women come across a display of foot-long red hotdogs which causes them to titter among themselves and to eventually convulse into laughter. The man wonders what’s going in the next aisle, so one of the women walks over to him holding the foot-longs. They made inaudible comments and laugh together.

Dream 2

I am in an unidentified location with my mother. We appear to be rummaging through different items. She comes across my younger brother’s old raincoat that he wore when he was alive. She notices that there is a $2.00 tag near the lapel and that it comes from Sears.