Potluck for Grandma

I was at a family reunion in a house I didn’t recognize. The entire dream took place in the large kitchen and attached dining area. My family doesn’t have reunions. We’re a relatively small family, you see. I don’t have any cousins.

I was quite confused as one can imagine. I was also very concerned. I found myself wearing light blue denim pants and a denim shirt perfectly matching the pants. (This has always annoyed me in real life, as it makes the wearer look like a garbage man or mechanic.) Nevertheless, there I was in a strange house full of strange people who apparently made up my family. Even though I didn’t know them, I didn’t want them to think I made a habit of dressing that way.

We began to eat. The only person I ended up recognizing was my grandmother, on my father’s side. In real life she has pretty much stopped eating altogether. In my dream she came up to me and said, “I’m tired. I’m going to take a nap. Will you fix me a plate and put it in the fridge for later?” I said of course, and she went away.

I prepared a plate of food for her and slid it into the fridge.

I fixed my own food. I ended up eating at a tiny table with the children, with my knees to my shoulders, wondering why I was wearing matching denim shirt and pants, wondering who these people are and what they must think of me dressed this way and eating with babies.

I kept a close eye on the fridge to make sure no one took grandma’s food.

I wanted to change my clothes. I wanted grandma to wake up and eat. I wanted to eat at the big table with the adults.

Instead I continued to chip away at a bottomless plate of potluck, and I monitored that fridge containing the most precious cargo ever placed under my care.

I glanced down the hallway where grandma had disappeared to nap. It was so dark I couldn’t see any doors.

Dream of David Huffman, 17 September 2007

Chinese Ink Pen

I was, for some reason, taking ink writing lessons from a wizened Chinese man. He lent me a nifty type of ink pen I had never seen before. It was made of wood and shaped kind of like a funnel. In the top, there was a tiny tube of steel. Ink was poured at regular intervals into the funnel. It flowed into the tube like mercury, leaving no trace on the porous wood. The flow of ink from the pen’s tip was controlled entirely by the angle at which one held the pen. It took quite a bit of practice.

We were practicing at a small, low table in an open market area. Suddenly my parents arrived and said it was time we were going. I didn’t want to leave the pen behind, but it belonged to my teacher. He said I might be able to find one to buy on the other side of the square. I ran into the store, which was just like the small groceries I knew of in Kenya. I explained to the man working there what I needed. He helped me find a pen, but it was not as good as the original. I was very disappointed.

Dream of Toby Lunn, 17 July 2007

Toylet

I dreamed that I went to the mall with T__… I had to go to the bathroom, we went to the toy section where there was a little “real toilet” aprox 12 inches from the floor to the seat. I sat down on it because I had to pee so badly.(no one was around yet) anyway while I am sitting on the floor potty T__ starts talking to the toy lady, she helps him pick out a fireman hat and goggles, which he proudly wears over to show me…He is smiling sooo big, he obviously loves this stuff. I am too embarassed ( no pun intended ) to get off the potty. The toy lady keeps showing him toys to try on and he is so stinking happy about it that it is making me crazy… I cannot get off the potty, nor can I find the button to flush it… Yikes, anyway the toy dept is now packed with grownups and I finally find the flush button and thank goodness I woke up!

Dream of Leigh Ann, 10 July 2007

Vegetable Back Treatment

My wife was putting all kinds of chopped green vegetables on my back, zucchini, cucumbers, celery, and green beans…she said it would take away ALL of my back pain. She propped me up on cans of beans so that she could get the saran wrap under me and secure the stuff to my back… I told her that she was spending too much time in the garden… it was very strange!

Dream of Anonymous, 10 July 2007

Nervous System Observation

I was able to inhabit the nervous system of other people. I could not read their mind, or influence them in any way. What I could do, was vividly observe anything going on within their body. I could see, hear, smell, touch, and taste any event, including those they were not aware of. I could feel the constrictions of the stomach as it digested food. I could see the neurons firing as a finger was moved. I now know what it looks like when the nucleus of a cell is replicating DNA. It was one of the most amazing dreams I can remember.

Dream of Toby Lunn, 5 July 2007

Smuggling Margaret into the USA

For some reason I was smuggling a Kenyan woman into the US to reunite her with her husband. I think her name was Margaret. We made it into the country and sneaked into the high school where he taught choir. He did not know that we were coming.

He wore a tam o’shanter, push broom moustache, and a Mr. Rogers sweater vest. All unusual for a Kenyan expatriate. The choir was composed entirely of white high school kids, but they were singing a traditional Kenyan song.

Upon entering the room, Margaret and her husband rushed to each other in bliss. The choir spontaneously encircled us singing loudly. I was overcome with emotion and collapsed on the floor in laughter and tears. I awoke from this dream with a profound happiness.

Dream of Toby Lunn, 5 July 2007

Taking Dreaming in Stride

Supreme Court Justice Jet Ride

Sandra Day O’Connor, another Supreme Court Justice (I think it was Breyer), and myself were to each receive a ride in a fighter jet.  The justices’ jets were to be piloted by non-descript pilots; mine was to be piloted by George W. Bush.  The six of us were standing in a loose group on a tarmac.  The three gray fighter jets were arranged in a semi-circle.  The nose of each jet pointed toward our group, the cockpit glass raised.  The pilots were wearing olive drab g-suits and holding their helmets under their arms.  The justices were wearing judicial robes.  I was wearing civilian clothing.  The president was gregarious, larger than life.  After much laughter, we boarded the planes.  We then drove (not flew) to a restaurant.  At the restaurant, I awkwardly attempted to tell Justice O’Connor how much I admired her.  I overzealously explained to her that I was in law school and that I thought her opinions were always the best.  She was very gracious.  I awoke before we ever took off.

 

Dream of Michael T. Crabb, 14 June 2007

Drawing on a Cowboy Hat

My girlfriend took me to meet a group of people. It was not clear to me why this meeting was important. One of the people was none other than Wilford Brimley. Mr. Brimley was wearing a blue cowboy hat. It seemed to be made of a kind of felt. The brim was a dark navy color, and the crown was a paler cornflower blue.

As conversation started I became restless. For no particular reason, I had a piece of very crumbly white chalk with me. I instinctively reached over and plucked off Mr. Brimley’s hat. Using my chalk, I began to trace all the outermost edges of the hat. I paid special attention to seams where the different colors of blue met. This seemed very important to me.

I was engrossed with this task, but I slowly became aware that the conversation was dying and the other people were looking at me. Even Wilford himself was now looking at me sideways out of one eye.

I gingerly placed the hat back on his head and folded my hands in my lap. I was quite embarrassed, but Wilford didn’t seem to take particular notice to my vandalism.

Dream of Toby Lunn, 12 June 2007.

Killing White Wolves

I was riding across the land on a white steed and noticed that there were white wolves everywhere.  They were big and scary and I knew I had to kill them all.  So I found a sharp post-like thing, and went about killing wolves. This went on all night.  I got up to do the bladder relief thing and thought, “This dream will now stop.”  Not so, I came back to bed and dreamed I killed the last wolf.

Dream of Alan Lunn, 29 May 2007.