This Stuff of Which Dreams are Made of . . .

Is a little bit of bs, I think.

Or perhaps I am even more two dimensional than I thought. Well, no surprise there really.

But for certain there are zillions of books and websites on dream interpretation and symbolism. I am sure you a familiar with the genre on some level. Maybe you had a dream dictionary yourself in high school or college (or now) after your first introduction to Freud and Jung. Maybe you even spent time at parties looking up the prominent symbols in your dreams. Or perhaps, at some point, you marveled at the collective unconscious and the commonness of some dreams--anyone ever have the I missed a test or class dream? How about one with your teeth falling out? And who at some point has not dreamed about being naked in some form? mmm, naked. . .

At the very least, I am almost positive that you have had a conversation with someone-- or even initiated it yourself where you said "I had the weirdest/most bizarre/crazy dream last night. . ."

And for sure I have had those crazy why-am-I-riding-a purple-bicycle-backwards-on- broken-highways-while-tiny-dogs-dance-by-with-parasols-and-oranges too. But more often than not I have dreams where I know I am dreaming and why I am dreaming about this particular thing and I am laughing--while dreaming-- at my mind's attempt at obtuse symbolism. Silly dumb stupid brain-o-mine.

Last night I dreamed one of those my-brain-is-but-a-shallow-reflecting-pool dreams.

I dreamed I had measles.

And while I was completely involved in the dream, I knew that it was a dream. And I was amused at the places it was taking me.

In the dream I kept going to different doctor offices, clinics, hospital Er's etc and showing the nurses, receptionists, doctors a rash on my thigh. It was itchy. Very itchy. And I would ask, holding my bare thigh rashy thigh up to them: Is this measles? Does this look like measles to you?

I never made it past any of the reception areas and everyone I asked would half recoil and lean forward and look at my thigh. Yes, they would say, quickly pulling away, scratching themselves in response. That does look like measles, they would agree. Then they would say: But you can't come here. And it was then that I would notice that they too had some rash of a various form and that they too were itchy and scratching at themselves.

It was like a pandemic of people with itchy rashes.

And I would say, being persistent, are you sure? I think it is measles but I've had measles. Not the German Measles; Rubella--I would say, being specific. Could be Rubella someone at some clinic would offer and I would say it better not be. I've been vaccinated 3 times for Rubella in my adult life, I would tell them. I should be immune.

And I have been vaccinated 3 times. I never show up immune to Rubella but I have had the vaccine many times--as an adult and as a child. It annoys me that I keep having to get the Rubella vaccine. And in my dream I am greatly offended that I might actually have Rubella. I muse that it isn't fair and what's next? I'm going to get chicken pox again too. So I keep going to different clinics. It is the same everywhere I go: measles, people with rashes, I can't stay.

Then, suddenly, I realize my lips are dry. In my dream I have dry lips. This is serious. Because my lips are dry. Slightly chapped and I am being vigilant about keeping lip balm on them so to prevent the dreaded cold sore that always seems to happen if my lips get chapped. And while I was having this dream about measles I knew why I was having it and I was just going along with it. But the fact that now my dreaming self has dry lips my conscious self takes that as the cue that the dream is over and I need to wake up.

And I wake up and I start looking for my lip balm.

So what was this dream all about?

Well it wasn't for sure about me being worried about something or having anxiety like the dream interpretation site says. For sure, I am a natural worrier and slightly anxious person but no this dream was all about mosquito bites.

I have at least twelve bites on the top of my left thigh alone. It is driving me crazy how much they itch. See, if you and I are standing outside next to each other and neither of us is wearing insect repellent I will be the only one who gets bit. And even if I do have repellent on and you don't you probably still won't get bit because the mosquitoes will be swarming around me trying desperately to find that tiny spot on my body that I failed to cover with repellent.

So what this dream is telling me-- and you too-- is that if you want to go on a canoe trip to the Okefenokee swamp for a few days you definitely want me with you. And also, that if I'm around? You don't have to worry at all about West Nile.

So this stuff of dreams? Yeah, my little life isn't rounded with sleep at all but rather with the mosquitoes. And you know what? I want insomnia because I freaking hate mosquitoes.