Stress Dreams
March 29, 2010
My stress dreams, or at least the "classic" stress dreams fall into two categories.
1. The college final exam.
In these dreams I'm either trying desperately to find the classroom where my final exam was being held (at Michigan State University when I was there the final exams were often not in the same room where the class was held), or I found out at the last minute that the class I thought I had dropped at the beginning of the term was about to have its final exam and I was still signed up for it, even though I hadn't attended all term.
2. The writing career.
This usually involves me going back to work at Henry Ford Hospital Cytogenetics Laboratory because the writing gig doesn't work out. Sometimes it's a temporary thing and sometimes my writing career just flamed out and I had to grovel my way back to work at HFH. (Frankly, this one wears on me much harder and longer than the college one).
There are some variations. One interesting one is my wife and I move back to East Lansing to go to school and I spend a bunch of time trying to figure out how to talk the MSU cytogenetics department into hiring me until I realize, Hey, I'm a freelance writer, what are you doing looking around for a lab job?
I had the writing career dream this weekend. I was back at Ford Hospital doing weird experiments that seemed totally pointless and everybody was being totally uncooperative and everything was in total disarray (see, some things never change). I don't know if I'm stressed out--probably am about something, God knows.
The first dream is the sort common to almost everyone I've ever met who went to college. You?
The second dream is the sort common to almost everyone I've ever met who is a professional writer, and I've talked about this with some writers, that apparently the idea of going to back to some previous job they had is a nightmare.
How about you? Do you have stress dreams? What are they about?
posted by Mark Terry at 5:46 AM
5 Comments:
OMG . . . yes, I have recurring stress dreams. I dream that I am living in my house and mold is on every wall, and the ceilings are caving in from the weight of water . . . all the walls are mushy, the roof crashing on me, and I have no money to fix anything. Like my world is literally "caving in" on me. I HATE that dream and it recurs with much too much frequency.
I also dream that I am supposed to get married and it's the morning of my wedding, and it has dawned on me that I haven't so much as a dress, pair of shoes. Nothing. I am completely unprepared.
I never had the final college exam one. Not even piano jury one. I've had ones where I have to give a recital in an hour, and I forgot, and I have nothing memorized or learned, LOL. Also have one where my students have a recital, and I plum forgot, and I have to show up in my PJs with no treats or recital programs or cake.
Sometimes I dream I am in Taekwondo class, and I'll get really mad at Glenn for waking me up, and I'll try and fall asleep again so I can do more TKD.
Erica,
Eek. I don't want THAT one. No household disasters.
Natasha,
My brother says his is about playing piano for his piano class final exam (he was a trumpet performance major).
Sitting in a chair in the middle of my Junior High gym and I realize I'm nekkid.
And yeah, the final exam dream.
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