In Your Dreams
by Jake Barnes
When I was a kid, I discovered that in my dreams I could fly. I would take a running jump and soar for long distances, never very high. I would skim the ground. It was a glorious feeling, to be free of gravity's rude truth. It was a lot more fun than walking or running.
What did it mean? What would a psychologist say? Oh, who cares. In my opinion, we ask why, what, when, where, and how too often. What's the old saying? Relax and enjoy it. There's a lot of truth in that.
I had bad dreams, too. I dreamed about the fires of hell. I would wake up screaming. My mother became alarmed and took me to the doctor. He said I'd grow out of it. Much, much later I put two and two together. Of course. The church! We were Lutherans. We went to Sunday School and church. I learned that you were punished for not only your own misdeeds, but also those of your father and father's father. “Unto the third and fourth generation.” I think that's what is says in the Bible.
In my dotage I still dream, but I can't remember what I dreamed when I wake up. I don't know if that is good or bad. I sleep like a baby. I'm no longer concerned about what it says in the Bible. What I worry about these days are trifles. Aches and pains. My failing memory. Death and taxes.
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Author's Note
Flying lessons.
A fun read, Jake. Love the phrase/analogy: "free of gravity's rude truth."
Isn't it funny how our worries get smaller?*
i love low-angle soaring dreams. Haven't had one in years. As a Lutheran, your hell flames were probably plain gray. Am I right? *
*.
death and taxes, death and taxes.
I miss my dreams of flight. Never once dreamed of hell, though, except the hell of a forgotten class during finals.
Not sure where my dreams went but I enjoyed reading yours.Wish taxes would fly away.
Out alone in a rowboat, terrible storm overhead, tornado... Haven't had that one in a while, either. Good riddance. Same with the forgotten class and walking on campus naked. Wouldn't mind flying again, tho. *
Love the way this progresses from start to finish *
A lifetime told in four paragraphs. Artfully done. I used to fly carpets in my dreams.*
the more impossible one's life, the more implausible the dreams. Fly me to the moon et al. Nicely done Jake. *
Lions, witches, airplanes, being chased in the dark, some flying - but in a sort of Barcalounger.
Great stuff, and glad you are no longer troubled by restless sleep.
"In my dotage I still dream, but I can't remember what I dreamed when I wake up."
Nice.