Uncle Roger Tries to Make Amends

Our Dreamer Writes:

Dear SMYD,

I dreamed I saw my Uncle Roger in a white tuxedo at the wedding of someone much younger.  Even I know wearing white to someone else’s wedding is taboo! 

I didn’t see the wedding itself, but it was in a cheesy sort of place with cheap paneling and folding chairs.  Uncle Roger’s tux was white, form fitting, and covered in sequins.  It even had large areas where the fabric was sheer!  It looked like one Liberace would have worn in his heyday! 

Uncle Roger’s body looked younger and slender in the tight tuxedo, not like in real life; he’s 80 after all and time has taken its toll.  Just as he keeps it today, his hair in the dream was dyed an unnatural dark brown, styled perfectly, and sprayed into place.  His face was pretty much like it actually is today, quite old with heavy sagging jowls and eyelids.  Uncle Roger just stood there looking at me with a smile.

I don’t think I’ve ever dreamed of Uncle Roger before in my life.  But after not seeing each other for many years, he suddenly seems to be making a big effort to be my friend.  We live in different states and weren’t close when I was growing up with my cousins, his kids.  In fact, I didn’t much like him or trust him back then probably because my dad didn’t, though he never told me why.  Like kids do, I just picked up my dad’s opinion and made it my own.  In a way, it’s nice to be back in touch with Uncle Roger, though I feel some reservations.  My dad’s no longer around to ask, and I still wonder why he and Uncle Roger didn’t get along.

What do you suppose this dream means?

Signed,

Still Dubious

Dear Dubious,

Consider your dream as offering insight into your Uncle Roger and his recent communications.  It confirms the caution you’ve felt for many years.  In your dream, even though your Uncle Roger presents himself in the best possible light, your dreaming self still finds him “cheesy.”  He appears in an outfit that’s incongruous for him and unbefitting the occasion.  At best, his efforts to put up a good front fall short.

With his flamboyant attire, he distracts you from the event and its flimsy setting.  His efforts to be the center of your attention are based on creation of a false image.  He smiles at you, wanting to seem different from what he is, hoping you’ll approve.  But the setting, his frozen hair and haggard face are the same as they’ve always been.  They give him away as being unchanged. 

But don’t be too hard on him, Dear Dreamer.  It could be your Uncle Roger is seeking your attention out of loneliness or remorse.  Remember, he’s in the twilight of his life, and he has reached out to you, perhaps to make up for past transgressions you’ll never know. 

Sweet Dreams to You, Dear Dreamer!

SMYD