Bad Dream 210 Getting the New Boat Wet

 In my dream, I am getting a new sailboat ready for its initial trip.

This is not just any sailboat, it's an Optimist Pram -- the same design as the one I first learned how to sail when I was 10 years old.  Or thereabouts.  

At the start of the dream, I am standing next to the boat on dry shore.  It is likely on a boat trailer or other support, because it's high off the ground, making the onshore rigging easier.  I go to put the rudder in place, but halfway through the process, I realize the boat needs to be in the water for this to be done successfully.  So I putter around getting other things ready to go.  

There are other people around me and the boat, helping to make sure everything is ready.  I don't recognize faces or hear voices, but I'm pretty sure my older brother is part of this effort.  Quite possibly just standing nearby.

The scene changes, and the boat and I are in the shallow water.  I can now easily affix the rudder and tiller properly in their place at the back of the boat.  My dream does not include anything about setting the sail on the mast and spars or getting into the boat.  But I find myself properly on board with the sail filling nicely.  The boat begins to pick up speed via the power of the wind on the sail.  

As the boat gets underway, I realize that the water where we're sailing is the arm of the Chesapeake Bay where I learned how to sail and spent as much time as I could either swimming or sailing.  

As the boat moves forward, I see my older brother's head bobbing in the water slightly off to the side as I go sailing past him.  He looks neither pleased or worried.  It would seem he wanted to be there just in case we hadn't got the boat properly rigged or there was some other problem.  I look at him and he looks at me.  Both pretty expressionless.  

I look forward as the boat and I head out to open water.  

Bad Dream 209 A Trip Out West

In my dream, I am standing next to a rather fancy sedan car with a number of people in it.  I know most if not all of these people, but not intimately well.  Maybe we're at school together or work together at the same place.  The dream isn't clear on that.

The people and the car are headed out west to see the sights.  There's nothing specific in the dream about which sights, but it's likely is the landscape (plains, forests, mountains, etc.) rather than cities.  

At least on person in the car asks if I would like to come along on the trip.  The car is rather full, and the ask was rather luke warm.  If I didn't really want to go, I would have turned down the offer -- as I didn't want to cram myself and my stuff into an already crowded car.  (The car has bench seats, with three people to sit in the front and four in the back.)  But I really do want to go, so I say "Yes!  Thanks!!"  I understand that the rest of the folks in the car are not all that pleased, as the car seemed pretty full to start with, but no one was going to counter the invitation.  So I'm going.  And sure enough, the car is now absolutely crammed.

After we drive a while, we stop at a building out on the Plains somewhere.  I think it's part restaurant and part gas station and maybe part motel -- these three in descending order.  But we're certainly out of the car and into the building.  While most of the folks are in an adjoining room, I walk around a bit in the rest of the building.  What I notice is that the pitched ceiling is at least 15 feet high, rising to maybe 20 or 25 feet.  My first and only thought about this is that it would be a wonderful place to juggle.  I want to tell the lady who seems to be the proprietor of the establishment, but I think I don't get the chance.

We are now back at the sedan and getting ready for the next leg of our trip, and I look inside and see the guys with their luggage on their laps and grimacing at the crowded condition.  I walk to the back of the car and open the trunk by simply pressing on the circular keylock.  (I'm a bit surprised but pleased that the trunk opened that easily.)  And behold, there's absolutely nothing in the trunk -- and a huge amount of space.  

I bring this news to the guys who are already in the car, and soon most if not all the luggage is out of the cabin of the car and safely stowed in the trunk.  When I go to get in the car with everyone else, I see that the only open place is in the front seat next to the window.  Hey!  I'm riding shotgun!  It would seem possible -- and maybe likely -- that folks arranged this so that I get this highly prized seat as a "Thank you" for finding the trunk.  

Bad Dream 208 Not Going to Make it for Golf

In my dream, I am looking to schedule a "Tee Time" to play golf at a local course -- something like 5 or 10 miles away.  I have played for some considerable time, but haven't played recently.  

I phone the local course and ask for a tee time later that day.  I am informed that they wouldn't schedule a single player that day, but only groups of 3 or 4.  I explain how important it is for me to play today (I don't remember the reason...) but please, please let me play today!  The person I'm speaking to finally relents, but I have to be at the course in a very short time.  (I also don't recall exactly how quickly I need to be there, but it's less than an hour or so...)

I my dream, my only transportation is a child's tricycle.  I wasn't expecting this development, but I have to go with what's available.  It's too small for me to sit on and pedal, so I must stand at  the back platform and push my way forward by push-kicking the tricycle.  (I realize after I wake up that I don't have any golf clubs with me.  I might have placed them in a car or truck or bus, but none of them is available.  So I guess I expected to borrow clubs from the course.)

I head out on the road -- traffic is never a problem in my dream -- and come across a small side road.  I'm pretty sure that this smaller road is a "short cut" to get to the course, so I turn onto the smaller road and head off.

Shortly after this decision, I realize I don't recognize anything around me, so I must have been mistaken.  But I'm far enough along this smaller road that it makes no sense to double back, so I keep on going.  

On two separate occasions in the dream, I stop at old-fashioned gas stations and ask for directions.  On both occasions, the attendants are really trying to help, but no one on either occasion knows which golf course I might be aiming at.  There seem to be several of them not far away.

On one occasion, the attendant gets out a map with hopes that I could orient myself with the information on the map.  The map shows three or four golf courses -- all of which are not that far away, but going towards any one of them takes me farther away from any of the others.  And I have forgotten the name of the course.

I realize that I will never get to any of those courses in the time that was allotted during my phone call.  There is a phone available in the gas station that I am invited to use to get in touch with the course and ask for more time; but since I can't remember the name of the course I've chosen, I can't make that call.

Bad Dream 207 - A Special Flute

In my dream, I am holding a special flute.  It's made from wood, much like my collection of Bansuris, but there the comparison stops.

It's a fairly large diameter flute, but not excessively so.  And it's roughly 24 inches long.  It seems to have been carved out of a larger piece, unlike the bamboo of the Bansuris.  

And it has a great many holes up and down the length of the flute.  Obviously, a single person hasn't got enough fingers to cover all the holes, but it's clearly meant to be played by a single person.  One of the holes near the middle is shaped like a whistle that a policeman or football referee would have.  And on further examination, I can see that it can be played from either end.

I'm with someone, who is most likely my sister, and she and I are both rather taken with the flute and trying to figure out how to play it. 

Clearly, whomever made this flute had something very special in mind, and I wish that person were nearby to show me how it is played.  

It is a rather joyful time, being with my sister and having such a wonderful puzzle -- a musical puzzle -- to play with.

(It should be noted that I haven't touched any of my flutes in weeks, and every time I walk past them, I feel a moment of frustration and commitment to get back to playing soon.  But I haven't made it that far for far too long.)

Bad Dream 206 - What's With Dad and Richard?

My Dad was one of the most even-tempered persons I ever knew.  But in my dream, he is clearly agitated and mad at me.  And I can't imagine why.

I don't recall anything in my dream concerning the place where the dream takes place.  Probably indoors somewhere, but no idea where. 

I ask my Dad what the problem is -- and clearly he has difficulty expressing exactly what the problem is.  He kind of starts saying something, then stopping. He does this several times.  Then he finally blurts out "Your brother has something to say to you."  He then sweeps his right hand horizontally across his body and says "Swoosh."  He then looks at me as if that gesture and word combination should explain exactly what the problem is.  

Richard then says something that I don't recall, but he then makes the same gesture and says "Swoosh" just like Dad had done.  Now, both of them look at me expectantly -- as if what their problem is should now be perfectly clear.  And, of course, I have no idea what's going on.

Now, since Richard's efforts to explain have failed, Dad takes over again.  His attitude is now, "Well, if I have to explain this in specific words, here it comes."  He accuses me of splashing water on the Meeting House's kitchen floor and not cleaning up.  (Please note, my Dad wasn't a Quaker and had only visited the West Chester Meeting House once.)

I feel some relief now that the subject has been explained to me.  But I tell both Dad and Richard that I hadn't been in the Meeting House -- much less the kitchen therein -- in well over a year.  Dad hears this and gets an "Oh, yeah.  Like you expect us to believe that?"  And I assure him -- and Richard -- that it's true: I haven't set foot in the Meeting House for a very long time.

Dad seemingly still doesn't believe me, but he moves on to another point of attack (to prove that he's justified in being angry at me).  And that attack is that he is a strong supporter of Donald Trump.  And he and Richard start cheering.

 

Bad Dream 205 - Can I Help Martha?

In my dream, I've been talking to my sister Martha, whom I love dearly.  She is excited to be working on some new music duets (flutes, of course) with a friend, but is looking for a quiet place to practice.  A place that is conducive to the intense practicing that she and her friend want to do.  I get the feeling, but it's not stated precisely that way, that the two of them have a major performance planned -- or maybe an extremely important audition.  But in any case, she feels the two of them need to be at their best.

I am in the room where Martha is currently using for practice, but it's not clear whether she and/or her friend are in the room with me. I can see why Martha considers the space unusable, as the windows look out over a busy street, and the traffic noises are simply unavoidable and probably go into the late evening or early morning.  

For reasons that are not clear, I have control over another apartment-type space.  And that space is occupied at the moment by a guy in his 30's or so.  A bit grungy and not animated to do much of anything, it would seem.  I am now in the presence of that person, and standing just outside the room that, it would seem would be perfect for Martha's use.  

I explain to the guy that I will need him to move out, and he doesn't seem to mind a bit.  He sort of shrugs his shoulders and gives me the impression that he has other places where he can live.  So all that is okay.

The scene shifts a bit, and now the person that I'm talking to is a youngish woman who appears to be struggling somewhat to make ends meet.  (Her clothing, her overall appearance, her mildly haggard look.)  

She knows what it is that I am there to do -- that is, have her move out to allow my sister to move in.  She understands that I have the authority to make her leave if she decides to try and stay.  She smiles weakly, as if in resignation, but I can tell that forcing her to leave would create a major problem for her.  Losing her living space would create considerable hardship on a person who's already loaded with hardships.  

She looks at me as she smiles, almost in supplication as in "please don't do this to me."  But I've already promised the space to Martha and she's excited and preparing to move her practice stuff into the room.  

So I can disappoint someone for whom I care a great deal or create a major problem for someone I barely know.  But I have to choose one of the two.   

Bac Dream 204 - Looking for Mom with a Good Friend

In my dream, I am spending a considerable amount of time with a delightful young woman.  She and I are both in our 30's or thereabouts.  

She is very pretty and has a face that is almost always smiling.  She is about my height, slender, and looks athletic.  She moves quickly and easily in everything she does.  Oh, and she's African-American.

The two of us are at some kind of family gathering -- my family, not hers -- and there is some event or other whereby everyone will be leaving the two of us alone together for a considerable time.  I think overnight.  There is concern on the part of some family members that she and I will use the opportunity to have sex.  When this concern is expressed by a family member, she (my friend) and I look at each other and we know that we are thinking the same thing: We're very fond of each other and have a great deal of fun together, but having sex could endanger the relationship somehow -- and it's simply not worth the risk to our friendship. 

(Thinking about this later, I feel that this decision we made -- silently but together -- brought us closer than having sex could have possibly done.  I also realized that my affection for this lady was two-fold: I thought she was simply a marvelous person to be with for a whole variety of reasons; but also because I felt she understood and celebrated me at a very deep level.)

The scene shifts.

I am now trying to meet up with my Mother -- and my friend is tagging along.  Mom is attending some event entirely different from the one mentioned earlier.  My dream doesn't specify what the event is, but it feels like a Convention, or a Trade Show, or a new shopping venue just opening.  That is, lots of people milling about with too much noise and practically no order to what's going on.  And she (that is, my friend) seems to be amused and delighted at what's going on while giving me lots of space to try and find Mom.   

This event, whatever it is, is taking place in a large, multi-story building that feels like a retail (that is, small shops) space on a very large basis.  

My friend and I wander through and past the throngs and the mini stores that seem to be everywhere.  I am looking for some sort of Front Desk or Business Directory or Concierge, but to no avail.  

Finally, I see what looks very much like a Front Desk and elbow (lightly) my way over to the man standing behind the Desk.  I explain my situation to him and he tells me he can't help... terribly sorry.  My friend now approaches the Desk and asks -- most politely -- if he could provide a comb or brush for her hair.  I look at her hair and it looks perfectly normal and completely fine.  The guy behind the Desk assures her that the Facility is not prepared to offer such amenities.

My friend goes very quiet, approaches the Desk, and leans toward the guy.  She explains -- quietly and politely but with an aura of impending menace -- that comb or brush should be made to appear in short order.  (Reasons as to what the consequences would to not providing a comb or brush are not included in the dream sequence.)  

I am impressed in the manner in which she is handling this situation.  I didn't know she could do this -- but I think it's terrific.  

I think the comb/brush situation gets settled, but the dream doesn't go into detail.  

In my dream, I think that, if the guy can produce hair care products so easily and quickly that he should certainly be able to help me find my Mother.  He looks surprised when I ask him again for help, and he tells me that he had sent a message to my phone with the information I needed.  

I hear some device in my pocket start playing music -- like a cell phone might.  I pull the gadget out of my pocket and discover that it's not a cell phone at all.  I pull out another gadget from the same pocket and find it is (probably) a remote control for a TV.  I pull one or two more gadgets -- all roughly the same size -- out of my pocket and feel satisfied that one of them has the information I'm looking for.

At the end of my dream, I am staring at a handful of gadgets, but feel my search for Mom may be drawing to a conclusion.