The Way They Were, Are, Will Be

I have always been able to remember my dreams. I usually have vivid dreams with a singular theme unique to each dream. I do have a few reoccurring themes; the premise will change but the subject remains the same.

For example, I occasionally have dreams involving multiple tornadoes. I will always see these tornadoes outside from a good distance away and know that I need to seek cover. The setting always changes and my 'cover' is always different. Consistently, I avoid the tornadoes and am safe. I have never been sucked up into one, although in one particular dream the house was lifted up from around me and destroyed--still I was safe. The tornadoes are not so much scary as they are a signal for me to run and find cover. I know that there is imminent danger but I am not terrified. Once I find my cover, I am content.

Another repeated theme is alligators or large reptile-like creatures. They are usually in water in my dreams and I occasionally wrestle with them. They always take me by surprise and are very aggressive. Once a large reptilian was present in a small pond/pool of water in one of my tornadic dreams. As I was seeking cover from the impending storm, the reptile grabbed me and we began wrestling in the water. I am never physically injured by these alligators. I just know that it is something I have to deal with.

Most of my dreams involve water in one way or another. I've already mentioned the reptiles in water, but I also encounter water in conjunction with other odd things. For instance, I have had several dreams of amusement parks that are 'flooded' in waist-deep water. I don't know what amusement parks signify, but every dream dictionary on the market will say that water represents emotion. Go figure.

One frustrating theme is shopping. Every so often, I will dream that I am shopping for something. I will never get to the purchasing aspect of shopping, just the looking part. If I see an item that I like it will either not be my size, change by the time I touch it, or vanish completely. My shopping desires are never and I mean NEVER quenched. It is the most frustrating of all my dreams. I will become upset at my bad luck and yet I am compelled to continue to shop. Oh, and I am always alone when I dream shop.

Apart from dreaming of houses and other everyday things, I do not have some of the more common dreams that the masses do. I have never flown or fallen. I have never realized I was dreaming while asleep. I often praise myself for having vivid, exciting dreams and yet I seem to be missing out on some of the most basic dreams!