Dreams
Well, seven weeks in the books. In another seven weeks it will be Summer Solstice time, and two weeks after that 4th of July Weekend. The most expensive gas in my area right now is $2.67 per gallon, about a dollar lower than at its highest in 2019. Will it be $1.67 in seven weeks? The future was very uncertain seven weeks ago, and seems even more uncertain now. Will it still be this uncertain seven weeks from now? Only one way to find out…
As time goes by in quarantine mode, I’m finding that my dreams are becoming more vivid and complex, and that I’m remembering them more. I’m not sure whether the cause of this is the reduction of all the mental and physical “noise” in my life and the resultant ability to “listen” to my subconscious more, or whether it’s something else. Either way, it doesn’t really bother me, it’s just something I’ve noticed.
My most recent dream took place in this COVID-19 reality. A friend or family of mine (not sure which) was having a wedding in Chicago at a huge Catholic cathedral. (Side note: I’ve never been to Chicago and have no family there; also I don’t know anyone planning a wedding right now.) My wife and I were invited, and we struggled with whether we should attend. Finally we decided to travel to Chicago and attend the wedding, mainly because we were assured the huge cathedral would easily accommodate social distancing.
We arrived in Chicago and found the cathedral, which was indeed gigantic. Much to our chagrin, though, the people in Chicago were acting as if there was no such thing as COVID-19. No masks in public. No social distancing. Most businesses were wide open and crowded with people. To boot, people were saying things to me like, “Thank God the virus never made it to Chicago!” I would emphatically rebut that the virus DID make it to Chicago and that they should be a lot more aware and cautious than they were being, but my admonishments fell on deaf ears.
When the wedding day came around, I walked into the mammoth main chapel of this beautiful Gothic-style cathedral in Chicago, to help set up for the ceremony. I did not recognize any of the people there, and more importantly they didn’t recognize me. They asked my name and I gave it. Then they asked, “Are you sure you’re in the right chapel?” I gave the name of the bride and/or groom (side note: I couldn’t tell you who that is now, or how I know them), and they said, “Oh no, they’re NOT getting married in the main chapel…their ceremony is in Chapel 7B.” I asked where this inferior chapel was, and they gave me directions.
Upon arrival at Chapel 7B of the sprawling cathedral complex, I found it to be shabby, poorly built, poorly equipped, unfurnished, and most importantly small. For more than 4 people to occupy the room they would have to violate social distancing. I don’t know how many people were attending total, but there were already too many people in that small room. I let the priest know, probably with less tact than I should have used, that this was not acceptable. The priest was smiling and trying to be as assuring as possible, saying something like “No, no, there’s plenty of room and we’ll be perfectly safe here,” but I was NOT buying it. And that’s where the dream ended.
What does this dream mean? Is the wedding my version of the afterlife? My version of the present life? Is it just my unconscious working through my fears and anxieties? Something else? Does it even matter?
Bike Newbie 