I Dreamed a Dream...

This is one of the more  inspired dreams I’ve had. It all means something to me and perhaps it will mean something to you too. I hope I did it justice...

We were all living together; walking amongst each other, living life, and laughing a lot. But each person received a call to break into a room in this mansion and do a couple tasks. One of them was to listen to a recording, which would determine what you did next. You could choose to believe what the recording said, and if you did you were suddenly compelled to dip in the river which flowed from the house.

As I walked, waiting for my turn, I remember enjoying life. Laughing, singing even as I climbed a large escalator anticipating my turn. But I didn’t want to do the task, it seemed silly even a waste of time. But I climbed through and in that room, which was like a small pit of a theater, I realized how much I wanted to listen. I slipped on the headphones and a message came on, revealing the truth to me—telling me what was really going on around me. Darkness and apathy was all about. I needed to wash in the river. I needed to go in there and start new. I remember as I believed in the message wounds of blood came down my right arm and left. And a similar wound formed at my brow. I was wrapped in bandages of gray and tied them around my wrists and head. But they weren’t shackles. I was free. I could feel the weight of hopelessness escape from me.

I so longed to go in the waters. So I did. I don’t remember how, but there were others there watching and cheering me on, welcoming me to this new found place.

I walked out of the house and rejoiced as I saw my wife too had been transformed, not because of me, but because she too had gone and listened to the message. But there were those who listened and did not feel compelled. I looked at them, they looked just as I did—a coworker of mine stood out—and I saw that he hadn’t been changed by the recording. I wanted to tell him to run over and listen, but it wasn’t my time yet. I couldn’t get to him, he was many houses away.

There was still another tape I needed to listen to. I had to sneak into the house, for there was something like an army of people trying to prevent me from this next step. A militia wanted me to just be changed, but not to be a change-agent. I broke in, somehow, by the help of an older woman and a her family, I broke in.

There were three of us in that room. I wish I could remember who they were, but there were at least three of us. I sat there and pushed play on the player. A foreign language of some sort came on and I didn’t know what to do. One of the people suggested we just listen and then try to speak the language. I didn’t understand what I was saying, but I tried. And as I did, I started to understand the words. They were beautiful yet still so new they sounded foreign.

Next, a tall woman  named Kim with blond hair, guided me with her family and told me to wash in the river. She said it would be so free. I looked at her and thought she was a little crazy, but those waters looked so refreshing, and while there was a roaring torrent, I wanted to get in those waters. I submerged in the cool, afternoon waters and realized how hot I had been before. But now I was refreshed and anew.

I came out of the waters and looked around me. There were many wearing the bandages I was wearing, and others who removed their bandages boldly.

“Why do they do that?” I asked.

Kim said, “To show others. It is very brave and not everyone needs to, but if you can you might.”

I looked over to her and she was now wearing something like a wreathed crown of vines. Small buds and leaves grew from the vines. I admired it.

“This will come to you too,” she acknowledged to me.

She had been so strange, even flighty before. But now, having been washed in the waters, I could see she was more aware and determined than anyone around me.

But there was urgency now. I needed to go tell others to get to this recording that had started the change. I needed to bring them to this place. I walked by the escalator and saw thousands of people waiting for their turn. Some seemed to be happy to wait, while others seemed annoyed and upset they had to be in the line at all. Not all of them would come to know what was on the recording, as there were other things to enjoy. But not as great as what was on that recording. Nothing could compare to it.

I was suddenly whisked away to a place where I was with my wife. She too had been changed, now standing in bandages. I couldn’t contain my happiness. We embraced and then set off in a car being driven by a friend. The friend hadn’t been changed and complained about all the people in bandages. Maybe he knew we were those people, or maybe he didn’t, but he complained.

The road was curvy and hard to stay on as he drove us, but we didn’t mind. I think we were headed back for the house—the mansion with the recording. But his path didn’t take him there. Then there was a gruesome sight. A baby was tossed, carelessly, into the road. The friend driving swerved to miss the baby and we were plummeted into the river, which unbeknownst to me, was meandering next to us all the while. My friend panicked, but I told my wife to accept it. We opened our doors and let the water take us in. It was refreshing again, calming. But my friend didn’t see that. He beat his arms and kicked his legs against the water. I didn’t understand, but I remember climbing out the water with my wife and sharing two thoughts, “We need mentors.” She knew it was true. This world was new to us and we needed a guide.

We decided to return back to the mansion, that was our place of solace and refuge. We broke into the house and I met the same woman, Kim. Her crown was now budding with greens and she celebrated my return and embraced my wife. She whispered something to me or my wife, it didn’t matter which and I in turn told my wife I would be her mentor and guide. She seemed relieved to hear my acceptance of the role then we walked off together, excited as we acted upon my second thought I shared with her back at the edge of the water.

We were going to wait alongside our son who was waiting for his turn to hear the recording. We would live with him, eat with him, and enjoy the world with him, but expectantly wait for the moment when he would listen to the recording that eventually would change him.

There it is. There is a ton of allusion and symbolism in this dream. We can chat, if you'd like.