Swimming with the girl from Jeopardy!

Our Dreamer Writes:

Dear SMYD,

I can’t believe I’ve started my new job as a middle school counselor!  It feels amazing when people come to me for answers to their problems.  I love it even if I’m a little overwhelmed.  I think I’m going to be good at it, but I’m still new and wish I had more experience so I’d feel more secure. 

Anyway, I was pooped when I got home so I just ate some leftovers, watched some TV, including “Jeopardy.”  Then I fell asleep in front of the TV, got up and went to bed.

So it seems like the dream I had about the girl on Jeopardy is just repeating things that I saw the day before.  But the dream seems weird too.  What do you think?

I dreamed I was at the end of a swimming pool at work.  (My school doesn’t have a swimming pool!)  I was standing there with the girl I saw on Jeopardy.  She was really smart and pretty.  I was kind of surprised by her success on that show.  I even wondered just for a minute if she cheated!  (I don’t think you can really cheat on that show, but she was so young to be winning so much!)

In the dream, we were at the shallow end of this pool, but I thought it was too deep for me.  When I did get in the water, I wasn’t afraid, but I wished I knew some tricks or clever ways to stay afloat so I could feel more comfortable.  Then the girl gave me a map of the bottom of the pool.  It was beautiful with hills and valleys, trees, fish, everything! 

So like I said, I think this dream probably just took some memories from my day and added the weird details.

What do you think?

Signed,

Swimming with the Girl from Jeopardy 

Dear Swimming,

Our dreams often do incorporate elements of things we saw or thought about during our waking lives.  But if you consider the thousands of things that come to your attention in the course of any given day, it seems clear that your dreaming self selects specific images for specific reasons.

In your dream, you find yourself next to a bright young woman who’s experiencing some surprising success.  She seems a lot like you.  You say that you feel happy and competent in your new job, a successful achievement like hers, but not totally secure.  You wonder if she cheated to achieve her spot in a competitive atmosphere similar to the way you ‘can’t believe’ your own arrival in your new station.

Even though you’re at the shallow end, where beginners start, you worry that it’s too deep, that you’ll be in over your head, again just as you feel a bit overwhelmed, wishing for clever ways to stay afloat.  But not to worry Dear Dreamer.  You have the foundation (that map of the bottom!) needed to navigate your new surroundings!  You earned it!

Sweet Dreams to You!

SMYD