“Every second of the night I live another life…” Heart song These Dreams.
Even after living so many years, it’s almost impossible to get a handle on this human comedy we call life.
Whoever or whatever felt a need to create humans had a rather bizarre sense of humor.
Or perhaps an unfathomable need for entertainment.
I’m not certain which.
Of course, the older I become the less I seem to understand about the whys and wherefores of our existence, except for one.
It was a foregone conclusion that life would be hard. Humans would need some ways to cope with the difficulties they’d encounter along the way.
It’s no accident the Olmecs, who lived in present-day Mexico thousands of years before the Inca and Aztec empires discovered cocoa beans. Someone threw us a bone that day.
It seems the day we changed addresses and left Eden we moved into a pretty tough neighborhood.
I guess it was okay for Eve to walk around nude showing off her body eating fresh fruits and vegetables, but once carbohydrates entered the picture clothes became a necessity for women. Okay, some women.
Not to be in any way sacrilegious here, but getting thrown out of Eden may have been a way to cast the blame for the hardships of life on man himself.
Almost as if the creator blamed their own creation for what they knew would be a tough road ahead. Like if General Motors built cars with square tires and then blamed the drivers for a rough ride.
So how does man cope with the hardships we all encounter on this journey? Since everyone walks a different path, I can’t imagine there is one perfect fix for all. Okay, perhaps a great pizza. Come on who doesn’t love pizza?
Yet lately I’ve been transfixed on dreams as one of the great coping mechanisms of life. And they’re free!
Most people would agree that dreams are very much a carbon copy of life, only you control the narrative.
In our dreams we create worlds, enter places we’ve never been and choose outcomes to our liking.
Of course there are some pretty terrifying dreams out there, but did you notice whenever things get really hairy and the pig monster is about to eat you, you wake up? Yes, I said pig monster and please do not judge.
Can’t stop bad stuff when you’re awake can you?
Sleeping, our subconscious controls the outcome, but awake we can only react to situations that occur.
Do we have some control over our lives? I imagine you can choose your own clothes, streaming services and whether to buy that precooked chicken at Costco.
Yet the life changing moments that are thrust upon us without our consent, not an option.
The biggies like illness, death, loss and even love seem to be planned without our permission or input at all.
That’s why dreams are so interesting. In dreams we can spend time with loved ones who are gone, look skinny in a bathing suit, go on a blind date that isn’t mind numbingly boring, or travel to places we’ve never seen.
I’m not certain whether or not some of the places I’ve visited in my dreams actually exist and I’ve forgotten about them. Or I’ve created them myself out of bits and pieces of areas from the past.
You can even go back in time and be young again. Something not even the greatest plastic surgeon or hours at the gym can accomplish.
You can revisit your childhood and spend time in the house where you lived with old friends.
You can see people you haven’t seen in years and catch up. Or meet new people you’ve no idea about who they are or why they appeared.
You can change the outcome of bad decisions, redo mistakes, fix a bad haircut or go fishing with your grandfather and brother again, even though both are sadly gone.
I’m not saying dreams will erase the pain of loss after waking, perhaps even make it worse in some ways. Still, your mind must have a reason for allowing us to be with the people we’ve loved and lost. To keep them alive somehow.
In dreams we can go from one place to another in a second by flying, pen a masterpiece and then forget it on awakening or even eat a delicious meal without absorbing a calorie.
We can see the world without spending hours on a plane or dealing with the craziness of travel.
We can lie on a beach and soak up the warmth without sun blockers or dangerous rays attacking our skin.
But I do find it a bit scary we can visit places that don’t exist and meet people we’ve never seen. What’s up with that? I guess in dreams we have the ability to create our own worlds and people. Powerful, huh?
As terrifying as dreams can be, they are also extremely cathartic. How many times have you wrestled with a problem or choice and found the solution in a dream?
When you can’t find the words in a difficult situation your dreams can provide the perfect way to say or do what’s necessary.
If you’re going through a rough patch, dreams provide escape from the stress and angst of tough times.
Sure, so many dreams make no sense at all. Many often repeat themselves and no, I’m not sure why or what that message may be. But perhaps there may be one if we examine it a bit deeper.
Can we learn from dreams? I believe so.
Can we solve problems and resolve issues? Yes.
Can we escape from bad moments in our lives? Sure.
Can we predict the future through dreams as some believe? Not sure about that one. I’d have to say to each his own on that.
When we awaken has anything really changed? In some instances, it can.
Is it positive to run a marathon in a dream when upon waking it takes ten minutes to straighten up and take control of our creaky old bones? Not sure if that’s part of the joke or not, or perhaps just wishful thinking.
Or someone or something’s sense of humor.
I guess I’ve stopped taking dreams for granted. Whatever the reason our subconscious comes out to play at night, it must serve some purpose for our well-being.
Like releasing the pressure on a valve that’s about to explode.
Dreams may save us from being overwhelmed by the trials and tribulations of existence, in a zero calorie and drug-free way. Sort of watching a movie without the need for popcorn.
Whatever the reason, dreams are part of our lives. They can be funny, sad, scary or take us to places and emotions we’ve never experienced. And you don’t even need to go through a TSA checkpoint to get there.
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