Dreams*

I’ve been having very vivid dreams lately.

Dreams that feel so real I can still feel them and remember them long after I wake up. Dreams that are so vivid that I wake up feeling like I haven’t rested at all.

While I was home last week, I had a dream that left me feeling uneasy for an entire day. I dreamt that after arriving at work I realized that I had forgotten something absolutely necessary at home. I looked at an enormous clock on the wall and saw that I have five minutes before the bell, so I decided to try and make it. I ran to my car, jumped in and drove to my house.

I was rushing and rushing to make it back on time, but I heard the bell ringing as I circled the parking lot trying to find a spot. As I drove around the school I panicked as every space was taken. I ended up parking in a secretary’s spot which happened to be in the furthest corner of the lot.

(If you know anything about where school secretaries get to park, this is quite possibly the most bizarre aspect of the dream. haha)

I kept thinking, “If I can sneak in past the office no one will notice,” but every door I tried was locked. As the time passed my feeling of panic increased as I somehow knew the principal would come in and check my class that day and find my kids alone in the room. It was a beautiful, cold sunny day and I could see the sun reflecting on each locked door that I tried to open.

Finally, I found an open door on the far side of the building–again, the furthest point from where I needed to be.

I began running toward my class; up flights of stairs and down long hallways but I never seemed to get any closer. I passed the big clock again and I realized that it was useless. I had taken too long and I was caught–there was absolutely no point in my going to class as I was already going to be fired.

I made my way back to my car in seconds, and watched a group of kids exiting one of the locked doors.

…and then I woke up.

I can’t even begin to tell you how stressed I was when I woke up. My heart was racing and I felt almost like I had just had a panic attack in my sleep. It took me a few minutes to calm down, walk through the events of the dream and remind myself that I was on holidays.

The feeling I had when I woke up never quite left me though… it stayed with me for the whole day.

And then last night I dreamt that a friend and I were being chased through a dark wooded area. He was caught and I fell to the ground under a bush and tried to lay still. I could hear him yelling for help, but I knew that if I moved I would be caught too. Things around me started making noise and I couldn’t stay silent. My jacket brushed a stick and the sound was deafening. I shifted on the ground and I could hear the noise of the leaves crackle under me.

And then I was found.

We were moved to an old house with another girl, and while I couldn’t see the face of our captor I knew he was dangerous. He barked orders at the other girl, and asked her to get something from his car. I jumped up and volunteered to do it, to show him how useful I could be. I went outside and saw a car full of men coming down the driveway. I ran toward them, and saw that they were people I knew coming to save us. One pulled me into a hug while the others stormed the house to get the others… but I knew that it was already too late for my friend.

…and then I woke up.

Weird, no? Not as stressful as the other, but I still woke up feeling unsettled and anxious.

I don’t know what it all means–I’m obviously stressed about something.

Any fabulous dream interpreters out there?