Dreaming in riddles

The past two nights have been filled with dreams that make me hesitant to close my eyes. I rarely have "bad" dreams, but these leave me with a sense of unavoidable catastrophe. The strange thing is that until last night, none of my dreams would have been considered particularly disturbing except for the dark feeling they instilled upon waking, so I can't explain why they affected me so. I saw a family devastated by loss amidst an otherwise happy reunion many years from now. It was the loss that stood out in my mind, especially since I haven't thought of this particular family in quite some time. When I went back to sleep, a pleasant holiday became stressful and precarious as stormy surf rose quickly in the darkness and tugged angrily at everything below. Even simple tasks like driving to the home of family friends became a troubling task. The random assortment of people confuses me because they are hardly people I see on a daily basis...or think about with any regularity. The vision that woke me at 5:30 was one of a large battlefield that had not been ravaged by war, but rather diesease. Individuals had scrawled blood red words into the ground beside them, but they were strange characters that I could not read. The only people who had been spared were the very few fortunate enough to have slept through the night. I sat up in bed and confusedly thought about the fact that my awakening during the night meant that I would contract the illness as well.

I suppose that if I really wanted to dig, I could find reasons for everything represented. My dreams are generally less about subconscious and more about random connections from fleeting thoughts throughout the day. At any rate, I hope that getting them out in the open will ensure a peaceful night's rest. It is absurd to feel so drained and preoccupied when the past few days have been bustling and full of happiness. Saturday was spent with an old friend. We had lunch, coffee, good conversation, and a pleasant (though chilly) walk over at least twelve blocks of downtown Milledgeville. It was a much-needed breather. Sunday was beautiful and sunny, reminding me of walks down Liberty Street before church...bells pealing in the distance. After church, we took David to the park and spent the rest of the afternoon doing odds and ends around the house. Yesterday was largely devoted to errands, but also contained mid-day encounters with friends. It was another beautiful day, and I enjoyed every minute outdoors, whether walking downtown, loading groceries, or even cleaning out my car.