Why are there toilets in my dreams so often?
And they’re rarely normal toilets. There’s no doors to the stalls, or no stalls at all, or the walls are only two feet high. Correct aim is impossible and everything gets messy. There are almost always other people, and no one seems to think it’s strange to sit on toilets in front of one another. No one else has any aim issues, either.
And the shapes — ! If you know Star Trek and remember Captain Pike’s little contraption, I’ve dreamed toilets that reminded me of that thing. Some are quite high. Some are robotic. Some are monstrous.
In last night’s dream, I was cooking at the stovetop, or the robot, and an elderly lady came up next to me and started poking around with a knitting needle under the toilet seat (the stovetop became a toilet?!) trying to flick croutons from a clean place into her bowl so she could eat them — but they kept falling onto dirty places. Kind soul that I am, once I figured out what she was trying to do, I helped her.
Why, oh why, am I helping grannies eat croutons off of my toilet, on which I am also cooking dinner?
Don’t worry, there was a lot more to last night’s dreaming — it’s not all about toilets.
In other news…
Today we made dinner for our friends who had a baby two weeks ago, #2, another daughter. She had a short labor and is recovering just fine, really seems as if nothing unusual at all happened to her two weeks ago. There’s the sleep issue, but otherwise things over there are just peachy. So when Amy and I went over this afternoon to deliver the goods, we got to stay and visit for an hour or so. It was a little chaotic with the two dogs and the two-year-old and Amy and all that, but it was really nice anyway. We agreed that we should do this often over the winter.
I remember when you were too unsettled by newborns to be around them. Look at all the progress you’ve made. You didn’t even mention it! Good for you!!
Comment by Amy — October 18, 2007 @ 6:17 pm |
I do not know if it is proper to laugh or not. I know you are probably trying to figure out your dreams and how they may relate to what is going on around you in your present life…but that was actually kind of a funny dream. I mean…I hope that is okay to say. And you are not alone on this one. When ever I am on the toilet in my dream…it is messy…that is the weirdest thing in the world. I’m sitting on the toilet right, how off can my aim be…but its like one of those sprinklers that turn. Typically I wake up as soon as it occurs because of a sensation to use the bathroom.
Anyway…maybe you were trying to cook a meal and Amy wanted some of what you were cooking (Babies and old people are very much alike). Maybe this was her in old age, maybe you think you will be physically taking care of her forever. So she was poking at ya to get your attention. With a knitting needles because you are probably trying to complete a knitting project and she was reminding of you that. Maybe she would like to try eating some soggy’ed croutons and she will need help because she will keep dropping them onto the floor (dirty) and you will have to get her to eat the ones in her bowl (clean). And the toilet symbolizes you working with her without any frustrations. Sort of like flushing away a negative emotions and dealing with the situation by being the kind soul you described.
Oh, Amy makes a good point. Nice progress.
Comment by Sandra — October 18, 2007 @ 8:45 pm |
Sandra, yes, I wrote about this aspect of the dream because it’s too funny. It’s nice to hear I’m not alone in the aim issue in dreams!
And both of you, yes, I noticed that I was totally okay with visiting this new baby. I even held her for a bit and let her suck my finger. Now that I’m used to Amy, picking up this two week old was like picking up a bag of chocolate chips. Amazing. I swear Amy was never that little.
Comment by Marcy — October 19, 2007 @ 7:32 am |
Toilets eh? My first thought is a persons inability to effectively bring comfort to him or herself. There were all different sorts of toilets but to aim correctly was impossible making relief somewhat chaotic and anxious.
I’d be interested in even more of what you think about the stairs dream.
Austin
Comment by Austin — October 24, 2007 @ 12:17 pm |
Interesting, Austin. I wonder, too, how much it might be about boundaries — having trouble containing myself without isolating myself, and threatening and being threatened by engulfment.
The stairs… I just think it’s odd how rarely my dream self experiences normal stairs in a normal way. The stairs twist or get too tall or involve jumping or sliding or some other skills to access them. In this particular dream, the only stair I didn’t use normally was the one in the boys’ dorm. And the paper ones, but I don’t think my dream self was supposed to try to use those.
I suppose in obvious literalistic terms, difficult stairs could represent goals that are difficult to reach and anxiety about their uncertainty. It could also be about how much more effort normal things require of me than they seem to require of other people.
One thing I’ve been working on lately is how to talk about what I want and like and dislike about churches, without being ungracious, without offending people who go to churches I dislike, etc. Thinking about to what extent it’s even okay for me to dislike things about certain churches, when other people who are obviously good Christians go to those churches and even appreciate the things I dislike.
I’ve also been working on serving my family, including sometimes postponing or sacrificing one of my own desires, without hurting myself.
Comment by Marcy — October 24, 2007 @ 2:59 pm |