Much like mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, dreams are the vehicle of our subconscious. Enough with writing award-winning student journalism pieces. This new year, we should all focus on remembering our dreams.
Often, dreams are a reflection of our experiences or fears. For sure: when I had a really intense crush in the tenth grade, I dreamt we were both in a play with the pirate guy from season two of Shadow and Bone (whom I fell in love with), and my crush got jealous. Pirate guy and I started going steady and then he suddenly moved to London to work in finance. I get reminded of this every time I see someone wearing a quarter zip. The lesson here? Life is a stage, crushes are bad, and men who work in finance are evil.
Other times, dreams are definitely not reflections of our experiences. For example, when I emailed my friend Iseult about writing this article, she told me about her most recent dreams where she was “eaten by a ginormous dragonfly” and “kidnapped by a sexy man and developed Stockholm syndrome.” I’m not sure I want to know what that says about her. My friend dreamt he, Boris Johnson, and David Cameron were in a fist fight (you’ll never guess who won), and my other friend Lucy had a dream where she married her friend and they played Bananagrams every day of their marriage. Her interpretation was as follows: “I believe I had this [dream] because when [my friend] was staying with me, [we] would play Bananagrams and Boggle every single day, and no one else [would] so it made me really happy. So I think my subconscious is telling me to marry someone who will play Bananagrams with me often. Side note: do you know anyone who would fit this profile?”
Lucy’s dream was pretty sweet, but sometimes you have a dream that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. For example, she also had a dream about her ex from secondary school and woke up in a cold sweat. Must we revisit these traumatic fragments of our strange childhoods? What gives, subconscious?
For the Serbian side of my family, dreams carry immense significance: for example, if you dream a lot of white, that means you are going to get sick; if you dream of your friend or a family member in snow, that means you or someone you love is going to get sick; if you dream about babies or young children, that “also does not mean anything good” because “it means sickness or disease,” according to my mother. Not all hope is lost, though: if you’re crying in your dream, that means happiness is coming.
So, over the course of January, I jotted down the dreams I could remember:
January 10: I can’t remember what this one was about, but my friend Natalie kept insisting that she only ate bread that was organic, fair trade, or made with wheat crushed by the toes of monks. I was laughing, and then something bad happened to me.
Interpretation: This one might be a social critique. Either this is pointing to the often hypocritical nature of food industries using labels like “organic” and “fair trade,” which frequently mask exploitative labor practices and environmental harm, or we should all be eating bread made from wheat crushed by the toes of monks. I’m looking into it.
January 11: I went for a walk in the forest with Jake from State Farm. I was really stressed out because my entire dissertation (that I hadn’t written yet) was due in three hours, but then we stumbled upon a babbling brook.
Interpretation: The forest usually points to uncertainty and exploration; I might be navigating a situation where my path is not completely clear yet, but I am moving forward. Jake from State Farm is familiar, trustworthy, and associated with protection or coverage. My brain may be using him as a symbol of reassurance — a reliable presence in a time of deep uncertainty. I fear my procrastination is getting bad enough that my dreams are calling me out for it.
January 16: I dreamt I got stuck in the elevator in my dorm. The doors opened two-thirds of the way, and then as I tried to get out, they slammed shut on me. I woke up very annoyed.
Interpretation: This story actually reflects my floomate’s experience only a few days before I had the dream. She texted the floor group chat about it and my RA replied, “yikes 😬.” I may have laughed a little too hard at her expense. This dream might just be my guilty conscience acting up.
January 28: I dreamt I donned a nightgown and a floppy hat parading down a hallway with the smug condescension of Ebenezer Scrooge. That was until I passed Shaq’s door, sweating profusely as I worried about waking him up. I never woke Shaq up, but my hand woke up as if I was holding a candle and saying, “Who goes there?”
Interpretation: I don’t even know where to start with this one. At least I have an idea what I’ll dress up as next Halloween.
January 29: I dreamt I was in the ocean with whales. Maybe I, too, was a whale. Unclear.
Interpretation: I have been listening to Spotify whale sound playlists while doing schoolwork. Maybe it’s time to pivot to white noise.
So, next time you’re sitting with your friends at Leo’s and things get quiet, look your friend in the eye really intensely and go, “Tell me about your dreams…”
