The week began with a nightmare: the stress was obviously
beginning to settle in. I awoke in the
early morning Monday morning crying and thrashing in my bed. It was a bad one
this time, my Oncologist tracking me down in an odd location to deliver unwanted
news. I had a difficult time shaking the
dream from my waking state. The week was
off to a shaky start.
My Dad always told me everything he had read about
dreams. We had many discussions over the
years; especially about my own; I tend to have lucid dreams. The lucid dream is a phenomenon. The dreamer realizes they are dreaming and
can sometimes stop the craziness or solve the problem in the dream.
Daddy read that the
sleeping brain, which isn’t really sleeping, has to do something to fix itself,
keep itself entertained. The brain sends electrical impulses through channels
in strange paths, paths that the waking brain wouldn’t normally take. Stresses of the day cause the sleeping brain
to make even odder repairs. Daddy wasn’t
a brain researcher; he just loved to read medical journals. Maybe he should have been a doctor. He didn’t think he smart enough so he became
a Chemical Engineer and jack of all trades.
I miss Daddy’s weirdness and wisdom.
Daddy has been on my mind quite a bit week. I’ve asked my children what they thought he
would think of me going back to college to pursue a second degree. Big smiles appeared on their faces. “He would love it.” He would tell me to calm down, take better
notes and work longer hours.
Work longer hours! I am already staying after work to make
up for class time. It’s making for a really long day. Homework is getting longer, assignments are
piling on and the house will be one big pile of dog hair by Winter. I attended a function with my SIG on Thursday
evening. Chatting with new and old
faculty about the new semester; I received several raised eyebrows when I explained
to them I was enrolled in classes. I
felt the judgment: She is crazy. She has
a few bolts loose. I am getting accustom to this reaction. Yes! I am crazy.
The next day, feeling more exhausted than usual, I excused
myself from the office and made an appointment with the doctor. I had come down with a sinus infection. The
doctor gave me a couple of prescriptions and told me to go home. Homework, housework and social life would be
put on hold. I received a text from my
oldest daughter Saturday night asking me if I was watching “The Game”. I
explained I would watch the game until the meds kicked in and I fell
asleep. I did fall asleep, missing the second half of
the big game. Sickness and exhaustion had
claimed their victim, victory was a pillow and a box of tissues.
The new week had to be better. A new dream taunted me as I awoke Monday
morning. I found myself the director of
a children’s beauty pageant, seeking a secret code at the home of an acquaintance. She insisted I put the dog, not my dog, in
the garage and secure a series of gate in a specific order. She watched closely
and nodded approvingly when I pointed out that the dog had crossed its legs in
what I called the Scottish Cross. Again
a very strange dream. I hope I figure out the usefulness of this secret code.
I am wondering now if I should be taking a class in abnormal
psychology. Maybe I would learn more about these crazy dreams. This has the
potential to backfire; you could learn more about yourself than you want to
know. I think I will stay in the IT management
field for now. It’s safe.
Today I happily discovered that I have Ten out of Ten on all
of my assignments thus far. If the odd dreams
are the path to good grades, I will have to stop worrying so much. My brain is obviously trying to fix
something. I should let it be; it knows
better than I.
