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Spring Dreaming

It was May, and there were several people at my house. I suddenly realized I had not planted potatoes yet, or even turned the ground.

I drove the tractor to the field, but got lost somewhere near Hermitage Springs. The tire started going flat on the hay mower. Hay mowers don’t even have a tire. In a little village someone picked me up to take me to get the tire fixed, but I soon woke up.

Dreams are funny. We often times have reoccurring dreams, and mine, as you might suspect, are gardening anxieties. It’s April and I’ve not ordered my seeds, it’s July and I haven’t planted corn, or it’s time to cut hay and I can’t find my tractor.

Some people interpret dreams. Mine can be so erratic I’d be afraid what the interpretation would mean. I’m mostly just amused by the free-flowing unpredictableness.

When I started meditation practice, lucid dreams were frequent. I would realize “Hey, I’m dreaming”.

Sometimes I could jump up in the air and fly. I usually fly in the superman position, stretched our lengthwise with arms our front. Some folks dream of flying in a sitting position. It is really a thrill. I have been aware that I was dreaming, but I couldn’t fly, probably because I fell into a deeper sleep.

It doesn’t take very long to have a dream, maybe a minute or two. Sometimes my dreams are big, long stories, almost like a novel that continues on and on. But thoughts, unarrested by my consciousness, fly fast.  If a door slams in your house, you can have a dream with a series of events leading up to a gunshot that happens just as you are waking up from the loud noise, which is the door slam/gunshot that wakes you.

Dreaming is a good way to see old friends. It’s odd how someone from childhood will suddenly pop up in a dream, even though no conscious though of them was present recently. Little experiences during the day, that we take no notice of, can expand into a whole story at night.

It’s always a pleasure to see my dad. Sometimes I’ll say, “Where have you been?” I thought you were dead.” He doesn’t say much, but smiles beautifully.

Dreaming while awake is called daydreaming. It’s usually counter productive. Either we are lost in the past, regretting, or worried about the future, fretting. While awake, it’s probably best to stay in the moment.

Dreams can also mean goals, visions or ideas. These are nice as long as they are slightly possible. We wouldn’t get anywhere without them. But achieving them is 99% work, so I try to keep them in perspective.

I sure was glad to wake up this morning. It’s only February and I have plenty of time to order seeds, plant corn and cultivate potatoes.