Perspective, Ad Infinitum

I figure everyone is allowed one opportunity to share the dream they had the night before. Just one, mind you. Just one. You're probably thinking I've already had mine, but the truth is, I rarely remember my dreams. And when I do, they are so prosaic as to be virtually indistinguishable from my actual life. For example, I will fall asleep reading a book, will dream I am in bed reading a book, and when I wake up in the morning will realize for a fleeting moment: I dreamed I was reading a book. Seriously.

But for a few flirtations with standard anxiety dreams--being chased, falling, etc.--during times of duress, this has been the situation. Last night, however, I had an unusual dream, or for me an unusual dream, in that it did not echo in some way an actual experience, and I am going to take my one opportunity to share it here.

I was somewhere out in the country. It was green and beautiful. The day was sunny and clear. There was a pool, or a pond, or a natural pool made to look like a pond, and at some point I noticed that there was a reddish golden retriever swimming around its perimeter. There were other people around, my children, for example, and it may have been some kind of party, but there were no people swimming in the pool, just the dog. And in my dream I thought: That dog looks so happy, swimming around in the pool. It must feel great to be swimming in that cool, clean water. And hours later, I was back by the pool, and I noticed the dog was still swimming, around and around in slow circles. And I thought: That's a long time for that dog to be swimming. He must be tired. But he really must love to swim. What a happy dog. Some dogs just love water. And at some point, hours later again, I suddenly had a flash of terror and ran to the pool as fast as I could. The dog had been swimming around the edge of the pool all day by this point, and it had hit me out of nowhere that the dog DID NOT KNOW HOW TO GET OUT OF THE POOL. He's going to drown! I screamed, not out loud but in my head, and I jumped in the water fully clothed. Somehow, in my dream, I managed to get the dog's front paws up on the rocks and grass around the pool. He was heavier than I could have imagined, and sodden, but I did it. And then, by myself, I pushed his lower body out to follow, and the dog collapsed, exhausted but alive, on the grass, as I watched from the edge of the pool.

Can you see why I wanted to share it? Hmmmm.

Out of my system. No more dreams.