Dream On!

Studies have always suggested that you’ll remember your dreams if you have a sound sleep and are not disturbed when waking up.

One begs to differ – did you ever have a dream or nightmare that jolts you awake? And yet, you remember it in full detail?

Dreams have always fascinated me, and although one of my resolutions was to write them down before I forget, I’ve not made that happen quite yet.

Luckily, due to an occasional evening dose of Extra Strength Tylenol to ease the pain in my post-surgical wrist, I’ve been remembering many of my dreams. 

The dream that was a real doozy was both wishful, comical and scary all at once. Let’s preface it by sharing that I’ve had many restrictions from physical activity due to both the incision and being a fall risk, so naturally, my inner child wants to do nothing other than swim. 

It went something like this:

Once Upon a Dream, I “snuck” to the pool, changed, looked around, walked onto the pool deck, took a good whiff of the chlorinated air, quietly slipped into Lane 3, and began swimming…in fact, I was swimming pretty well.

Yup…definitely a dream at this time

In reality – my current swimming stroke would be described as Mastery of Doggie Paddle in a Beginner I Class.

But it wasn’t. There I was, loving every second of being back in the water. Churning through my typical workout, there was not a care in the world until I stopped, and rather abruptly.

There he was. All 280 pounds of him. Standing in the shallow end of the lane. He looked like Mr. Clean in a wetsuit, and even donning the hoop earring. I panicked – because I knew that he was none other than…wait for it…….

THE SWIM BOUNCER!

Now, if you recall those days when you and your friends would hit the campus or downtown bars and nightclubs at 10:00 p.m. (which is now when I go to bed), you would see guys like this standing at the door, ready to “greet” you. They presented themselves in a very intimidating manner, although they probably had hearts of gold hidden beneath their large physiques.

You all remember this guy!

I chose not to “greet” him. I knew I was toast, and soggy toast at that. Looking to the side of the pool for an escape route, I saw my Physical Therapy team standing on the pool deck, ordering The Swim Bouncer to bounce me out of Lane 3. 

Rather than letting this guy try and grab me, I looked to my past lifeguarding experiences and got away. Studying and practicing The American Red Cross Water Safety section on “defensive measures while avoiding an aggressor” really paid off.

By some miracle, I butterflied to the deep end (that’s definitely a dream) and pulled myself up on the deck, next to a starting block. But it was too late. The PT Team had me surrounded and The Swim Bouncer was slogging his way toward the deep end. 

With no other option, I climbed onto the starting block, took my mark, got set, and dove over The Swim Bouncer – just like that naughty kid who escaped from the lifeguard simply because she wanted to swim during Adult Swim (who WAS that kid?!).

My dive into the water shocked me awake!

I was sad because I wanted to go back to sleep and finish out this silly dream. And I couldn’t help but wonder if the escape was a success, or if The Swim Bouncer and PT Team corralled me and got me in handcuffs – or at the very least the wrist brace I’m expected to wear.

The “new normal” for the forseeable future

How would you finish this dream? Do your dreams have an ending or resolution?

Dreams are one of those great mysteries that someday, our scientific community may find an answer to, or maybe just some good theories in the meantime.

For now, I’ll just keep dreaming – and perhaps I’ll encounter The Swim Bouncer in my next dream.