Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Last Night's Dreams

I have plenty of dreams I don't want to remember, but every once in a while I have a dream that is wonderful.  Last night I dreamt that we were at my husband's brother's house.  We were out in the Northwest and it was beautiful.  It was Christmas and my sister in law had decorated everything on their land with lights and Advent figures - it was breathtaking.  She was also preparing a feast and it was, evidently, a community gathering so that there were people all dressed up milling everywhere.  It was such a festive atmosphere, with children in their best Christmas clothing romping around outside.  My SIL was very very busy - she was setting tables and delivering dishes full of steaming food and so I trailed behind her assisting where I could and where she needed.  There was even a local TV person there who had written a play that included a game with the audience. 

Back in reality - after I woke up, stumbled to my chair with coffee, I fell back asleep as I often do.  I had a quick dream that my daughter was a child again and I was back from the Northwest.  My husband was at work and I put the Christmas tree I had come home with out on the back porch.  There were several trees out there already and it was windy, so I thought I'd go up in the attic and bring down the Christmas lights so as to brighten it all up - and to hold it all together against the wind. 

The attic was what I remembered from my childhood home.  It was a fold down stairway from the door in the ceiling in the hallway.  In real life I loved going up in that attic to look at the things of the past.  In my dream I was pulling boxes and bags, finding silverware and jewelry, books, toys - it was stuffed with goodies.  I pulled everything down in an effort to get to the Christmas lights and at that point, the dream became a garage sale.  Suddenly I was handing boxes and bags down to some workmen.  There was a mouse in one of them and it escaped, which worried me, but I kept on working.  My daughter was helping and more and more people were looking through things and buying.  By the end of the dream, it was the size of a huge flea market and people had evidently volunteered to take money for me, which I was collecting.  Some things I decided to keep and most I was selling.  I was anticipating quite a haul when I woke up again and decided it was time to get ready for work.

I often have dreams where either or both of two things happen:
I'm in the basement or storage area of a home or shop and I know I can have anything I want.  There are beautiful old bureaus and breakfronts and etageres and wardrobes full of old clothing, books, jewelry, letters, photos.  As I open each drawer or door there are wonderful treasures for me to go through, learn about, and which I can take home if I wish.  This is a WONDERFUL dream.  I love finding other people's discarded treasures of all kinds, especially books, letters and photos.

This is a variation on the above scenario and oftens ends with me going through what I have found.  This is also a FABULOUS dream for me.  I'm in a very familiar house, perhaps my grandmother's in Saratoga Springs or even my own, and suddenly I see a door that I had never noticed before.  I walk through the door and there is an entire portion of the house I never knew existed.  It is beautfully furnished and a bit dusty to indicate that it's been empty for a long time.  I begin to investigate and go through drawers and cabinets, etc., just as above.  I can't tell you how wonderful the feeling is when I suddenly notice a door that's never been there, open it and see before me rooms and rooms that I never knew existed in a house I've been in and thought I knew completely.  It is always full of treasures from the past.  I take notice of pictures on the wall, doilies on chairs, the colors of everything, window views to the outside world - everything.

When I have these dreams I wake up feeling calm and comforted - and I'd REALLY like to go back to sleep so I can get back to treasures!

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