What Dreams May Come (Again and Again)

So last week I had a very vivid dream.  Forgive me if you are my friend of Facebook, as you will have already heard this story.  I am in my classroom teaching when out of the corner of my eye, I see a bear on the playground.  He is very large with long shaggy hair and a white patch on his chest and hindquarters.  I run down the hallway to tell the secretary to announce to all the classrooms to stay inside.  On my way back, I run into one of the younger teachers, who is taking her class outside.  I urge her to stay in because there is a bear outside.  But it's too late.  Half of her class is out the door, and she doesn't really seem to believe me anyway.  I go back to my classroom.  Inexplicably the entire staff is at my window now.  I yell and point frantically to the bear, who is now bigger than the jungle gym.  I experience a moment of triumph when they all see the bear.

Any thoughts?

I'm pretty sure I know what this dream means.  I frequently feel like I did in this dream at work and in life in general.  I try to point out why things won't work or don't make sense or are just plain absurd.  It often feels like people just go on their way.  Or that I'm viewed as Negative Nelly.  No one really wants to believe it or think about it or deal with it.  At least in my dream I got some validation at the end.  I shared my dream on Facebook because I thought others would get a kick out of it.  I came in to work Friday to find this at my computer...

Guess there are others who can appreciate my feelings.

I don't think I am a negative person in general, but I do think of myself as a realist.  While some think the glass is half full and some think half empty, I'm inclined to think, "Yep, that's a glass.  And there's water in it. Let's not jump to any conclusions."  Then there's this little gem...

 

This may be a little more accurate.  That is me, I will admit.  I don't really think that makes me negative.  If you can't be honest about the way things are, how will you ever improve them?  If you want to improve things, you're not a pessimist.

Dreams are fascinating to me.  I have a few recurring dreams.  One is that I forgot I am in college and haven't gone to class all semester.  Oh no!  It's finals day and I'm completely in the dark.  Another is that my husband and I aren't really married.  Somewhere along the way, he never proposed.  I have one from time to time where I'm at the prom and am not dressed appropriately (pajamas, underwear, etc.) Then there's the naked dream.  I know - that one's pretty common.  Interestingly enough, I had it again right after I invited people to read my blog.  Wonder what that means? ;)

Yes, all my recurring dreams are anxiety driven.  I don't know if that's normal, but I would guess it might be.  Maybe there are some insanely confident, optimistic people who have recurring dreams in which they fly or score the winning touchdown every time.  Good for them. I am inclined to dislike and mistrust these people at least a little bit.  I'll take someone who can relate to a good bear dream anytime.

Kim