“They” are always telling us to follow our dreams. Well, last night I dreamt I was writing a blog post from the perspective of my cat, Carmen. Actually, come to think of it, I was Carmen and writing a blog post. In the dream, it was a really good post. I wish I could have remembered it to see if Awake Tammy was as impressed by it as Asleep Tammy was.
Surreal dreams don’t bother me nearly as much as the ones that are completely realistic. You know the ones that after you wake up you don’t know if they really happened.
About a year ago I had a dream that my parents had bought back a condo in downtown San Diego that they sold years ago for the same price they sold it for. It was so realistic that on the way to work the next day I called my mom to find out. I told her about my dream, and she started to laugh. She then conveyed the dream to my step dad, and then she held the phone up so I could hear him laughing. Disappointed I then said, “So does that mean that Carmen can’t talk?”. Okay, so maybe that whole dream wasn’t realistic, but the whole talking cat thing didn’t shake the believe-ability factor!
I think we need a different word for our lifetime ambitions, the “dreams” I believe “they” meant. I was all ready to declare “aspirations” as the perfect alternative, but then as I looked it up, I found its medical definition: “the sucking of fluid or foreign matter into the air passages of the body”. Ewwww! But it’s primary definition, “strong desire to achieve something” was so perfect! But, like “dream” it has two meanings, and this one’s secondary meaning is so much worse!
Does it bother you that we use the same word for both sleeping dreams and your dreams for the future? Has anyone else had a dream where they were cat or should I be worried about what that means about me?
Grown Up, Now What? 
So cool that you’re posting about dreams. I recently started a dream journal after going through Martha Beck’s audio book – Steering by Starlight. It’s fantastic. And the exercises she gives you to do in tracking your dreams are very detailed. I remember my dreams. Most of the time. Can’t say that I’ve ever dreamt from a cat or any other entity’s perspective. But I don’t think it’s cause for you to be worried – more like intrigued. You’ve made me want to go back and listen closely again to Beck’s section on dreams and post about it. Cause I’ve been writing them down but don’t remember what I’m supposed to do with them from there. So – what does that say about ME? Ditzy? Flighty? Dreams and dreams? Just semantics to me. Goals? Plans? Visions? Intentions? Maybe intentions is a good one. That seems to work. Too bad about your parents and the whole downtown condo thing…..especially cruel that they laughed at you. LOL
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Thanks for the book recommendation, Barbara. I’ve put it in my PaperBackSwap.com queue.
We all are inundated with so much information, it is amazing to me when any of it sticks. I’m amazed when I see pictures of myself from occasions that hold no recollection… I obviously was there…
They were laughing because the unit had doubled in value from what they sold it for. They were laughing at the absurdity of buying it back at the same price. But their laughter made it better. I could then definitely tell it wasn’t real. Who knows, maybe Carmen can talk!
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I like how you think! It does seem that phrases like “following your dreams” or “that person’s a dreamer,” creates a feeling that aspirational dreams are somehow unachievable. Thank goodness that the sleeping dreams ARE unachievable because I’ve had some really wierd ones! I guess that’s the wierd thing about the English language – all these double meanings! Even the word “aspirations” means something unpleasant! Luckily, the word “cat” still just means “cat!” Thanks for the inspiration, Carmen!
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Amy, you always make me laugh! We will need to have you over soon so you can spend some time with my muse (and Lemon!) … and recount some of those dreams!
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This is actually pretty funny because I once wrote a guest post (from my cat). People loved it. Only guest post I’ve ever had!
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Fadra, thank you for stopping by. That is hilarious! That is the best type of guest post to have!!! I’m sure Josie wouldn’t have it any other way!
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I might be weird, but I believe that all dreams are the same. We dream while we are awake or while we are sleep, but the dreams are all still our own little utopia. I can drive around the city and have crystal clear day dreams. Sometimes, my dreams at night are more clear than my day dreams. At times, many times, I do not want to dream anymore. In these times, I just want to live in complete reality, or at least turn my dreams into reality.
Great read and keep working hard!
God bless,
William Veasley
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Thank you so much for your comments. I agree with the desire to live in the here and now and work to make goals for the future become part of our “now”.
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