I have recurring dreams about traveling. Initially, this may seem a very positive thing. After all, why not take a semi-literal cerebral vacation every night? In my dreams, I have gone to Seattle, New York, Colorado, and even overseas. Unfortunately, these dreams are almost always disturbing. As far as I can remember, they always involve getting stuck or not knowing where I’m going. They are anxiety-ridden and stressful.
The most common culprit is the freeway. It is common for me to dream that I get on the wrong interstate and have no idea where I’m going. I’m always terrified that I won’t have the chance to exit until I am far, far, far from where I want to be. Unlike my waking hours, I am incapable of realizing that, since I am typically starting out in a major city, there will probably be an exit every few blocks. I also fail to realize that, no matter when I exit, chances are an on-ramp will be readily available to take me back in the direction from which I came. But these are dreams—nightmares—and such logic is denied me.
It doesn’t take much to read into these dreams. Do they represent an inherent fear of change? Of venturing into uncharted territories? Of ending up somewhere I don’t really want to be, but being stuck with it? This sounds reasonable enough, even though I don’t immediately identify with such worries. I suppose most people deal with these fears to some degree. As to why I’m plagued with dreams of this sort on such a regular basis, I don’t know. I think my upcoming conference in Colorado is fueling a recent resurgence. One recent dream specifically involved the conference. I realized, once I was there, that I had forgotten to pack any clothes for my three-week trip (though, luckily, I was not naked or anything). I also missed half of my classes because I didn’t know where I was supposed to be going on the University of Colorado campus. It was a freeway-free dream, but the overarching elements were the same. I woke up hating the idea that I am going. But I’ll get over it.
Oh, the days of yore. Before I ever had a driver’s license, I would dream about driving and it was always exhilarating. Now it is a dismal experience. Sometimes growing up isn’t quite the experience we had hoped for…
Not to fuel your anxiety, but there are places where there are no exits for a long time. During my first year of college, my friends and I were driving back to school after a break at home. In order to get to this college, you have to change interstates. The driver (not me) missed the switch. It was 45 minutes later before we were able to get off somewhere else. By that time, there was a mountain range in between where we were and where we were supposed to be. We had to drive through some windy, small roads and stop at a couple of gas stations for directions. We made it, but it wasn't fun.
ReplyDeleteI think you had better analyze your life and make sure you are doing and going exactly what you want to be doing and going. The other day, Katherina and I took a drive through east canyon. We ended up in Ogden! Oops. But, unlike the dreams, it was fun. I didn't panic too badly when I had no clue where I was!
ReplyDelete