Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Dreaming of Reality or the Reality of a Dream

I was walking in the woods near my house. I remember it perfectly. I can see the trees and the moon and the clouds forming in the distance. They are huge trees extending up as far as my four year old eyes could see. Each a perfect copy of its neighbor and all standing in perfect rows. There were lots of woods around my house in the early 70’s and I remember it all so clearly.

I remember walking home in these woods. I remember that it appeared as though I was not making any progress because of the similar appearance of each massive tree. Thunder began to erupt overhead as the forming clouds had come together and began their race with me home. They were winning.

I ran as hard and fast as my four year old legs could carry me. The trees rapidly became a huge brown blur in my peripheral vision. I only saw a tunnel of blurred trees leading directly to the back yard of my house. Overhead the storm exploded with rain, wind, lightning, thunder, and laughter.

I was looking at myself as a bolt of lightning stuck me on the top of my head. I saw it and the image is burned into my brain. I stood in the middle of the woods and stepped outside my body as I was struck with a bolt of lightning. I watched it happen and then returned only to wake up the next morning in my bed.

This story is a real dream I had as a child. The reason I am writing it is because I do still remember it as clearly as real events I had happen to me. It causes me to wonder about memory. I mean the woods are as real to me as the townhouse I grew up in or my day at work. They all only exist in my head right now. I know other people can confirm actions from work today, but what about those moments when I am alone? What besides my own memory can confirm those?

Remember that reality is only a moment long; everything else is memory or anticipation.

13 comments:

Serena said...

Ahhh, but you open up so many possibilities. What would put such a dream into the head of a 4-year-old? Where did the raw material come from? One could argue fertile imagination. Or Jungian theory -- collective unconscious. Perhaps genetic memory. Or ... a memory held over from another time? Whatever it was, it was powerful. It would have to be for you to retain such a vivid memory of a long ago dream.

Unknown said...

I also remember flying in a shoppingmart's parking lot. Not major flight, more like levitation while I pushed the cart.

Serena said...

That one was also when you were little?

Sometimes I'll remember particularly vivid dreams after I wake up, but nothing from long ago. I do remember one from maybe 20 years ago -- it was something about playing with oranges on a beach.

Unknown said...

They both are. They are honestly mixed in with my memories. They seem as real to me as my first grade class or my 16th birthday.

Rex Zeitgeist said...

Childhood dreams can be so wacky......My worst nightmare as a kid was this...

My little sister and I were sent on a errand to go and do something, the actual mission was never explained.......Our mom gave me a sack lunch so we wouldn't get hungry and sent us off across the neighbors pasture.....

Well, soon we came to the barbed wire fence that held the cows in, I made it across but my sister couldn't.....Since she was stuck on the other side of the fence I gave her the lunch and she opened it up....Inside was a roll of barbed wire and she ate it.....then she turned into a skeleton and died......

Frightened, I took off running towards what looked like our house.....as I got closer I realized it was the toy clock I had grown to a monsterous size......As I got closer, I saw that at 12 - 3 - 6 - 9 were family member that had been killed off....All hanging out the open windows......


I had that dream over and over as a kid....It still scares me to think about it....

Unknown said...

Woah! Freaky dream Rex

Unknown said...

Thanks Vast. I assume the people at Drudge are smart enough to notice the difference. I hope they are.

Serena said...

Whoa! That was some freaky dream, Rex. Do you remember how old you were and what your frame of mind was when you had it?

Ed & Jeanne said...

Good thing it's a vivid dream. I'm sure it's been logged off for yet another subdivision somewhere by now...

Rex Zeitgeist said...

I was about 5 years old and had the dream for several years.....

I have alwyas loved scary moveis, that may have had something to do with it....

But in my entire life, that dream has stayed with me.....

Serena said...

I'm amazed that you guys can remember stuff from when you were 4 and 5 years old. I can't. :(

The Phantom said...

I wonder sometimes if maybe it is some type of Reincarnation we experience.The thing is,we only use very little of our mind and really the possibilities are endless.

The Phantom

Rex Zeitgeist said...

I remember the moon landing and I wasn't even two years old....