Dream a Little Dream

Last night, I had one of those dreams, that when I woke up I just couldn’t forget. Though it wasn’t dramatic or worthy of cinematic adaptation, it has stuck with me throughout the morning and well into my Sunday.

I found myself in my own basement on a search for something, but of course, now I cannot remember what that something was. Looking back, I am not even sure if I knew what it was in my dream. My basement was my basement, but it also was not. It was different somehow. Cobwebs had adorned the walls and random boxes of sealed treasures were scattered throughout the space. This made it obvious that no one had been down there in some time. Even in its abandonment, however, I was comfortable. Not anxious or terrified. In the corner, I found an unusually large spider web containing something large stuck within it. Every few moments the large struggling mass made an unfamiliar noise. Like a character in a horror film, I felt strangely compelled to investigate, even while dreading what I might encounter. I walked closer to the noise, eventually removing what appeared to be a cocoon that had been harvesting a spider’s successful entrapment. I tore open the sack to reveal the struggling creature inside. I remember what I found had surprised me even within my dream. An otter. I found a baby otter in my basement covered in cobwebs, exerting every last bit of energy it had to try and escape to safety. On the other side of the room, a large utility sink had already been filled with warm water and soap, but there was no one else there. I proceeded to the tub, taking the otter with me. I gently slide the creature into the bath and remember it poking its head up from the water and staring me straight in the eye. As if it was a way of saying thank you.

Then I woke up.

I’m not sure how anyone reading this chooses to live their life, but this is the type of dream someone like me cannot ignore. Symbols are the language of dreams. These symbols can represent feelings or ideas that are often much more profound and deeper than any one word can convey. Trying to understand the meaning of our dreams, is like trying to interpret something that has been written in a secret code. Realistically, that is all they are. Random interjections from our subconscious tossed like a garden salad deep within our brain. These days there is no clear answer to whether or not dreams actually have any real meaning to our lives. Some arguments state that dreams are nothing more than a side effect of more fundamental neurological processes. Others, however, suggest the stories our brains weave from seemingly random dream images are guided, at least in part, by our emotional state. Real or not, I decided to humor myself this morning and do a little research into my confusing late-night slumber symbols.

Here is what I found:

Searching
To dream of searching something represents a need to find something missing or needed in your life.

Basements
The appearance of the basement is an indication of your subconscious state of mind and level of satisfaction. If a basement is in disarray, messy, or abandoned, this signifies some confusion in which you need to sort out. These are things that you have “stored” away or put aside in your mind because you do not know what to do with it or you do not have the time to deal with it.

Cobwebs
To see cobwebs in your dream suggests that “you have not reached your full potential” and your talents are not being fully utilized.

Otter
Dreaming of otters means it is time to let go of everything that worries you. Find pleasure in small things in life. Take more time to play. Otters are significant in accepting things that you cannot change in your life. A symbol to detach from negative memories that do not serve you well. To show you that unless you do, you will never move forward.

Bubble Bath
To dream of a bubble bath means that you have rid yourself of your worries/difficulties and release all the negative emotions you have been keeping inside.

So there it was. According to a dream dictionary: I was feeling confused about what was missing in my life. But unless I detached from all my negative memories and emotions, my talents will never be completely utilized and I won’t be able to move forward. I actually laughed out loud when I read it. Not that I really find my current situation to be all that humorous, more like “tell me something I don’t know” stupid dream. Also, I think everyone probably has, or will at some point, feel that exact way. So should I really read that far into it? But I think it was already too late.

I spent my weekend at home, alone. I cooked, cleaned, read a book, went running, and wrote in my blog. Basically, I spent my weekend working on myself. So if that isn’t attempting to “let go of negative emotions” then what the heck was? Because is there really a proper way to turn the page and move forward? Was there some type of manual that I forgot to buy? Could I simply read a few short directions and all of a sudden have all these answers? Doubtful. But on the odd chance that you have a copy, could you send it my way? Until then, I will probably remain here, driving myself crazy over symbolization and dreams.