Dreams of a Disturbed Mind

This is a post I started writing a few weeks back, the morning after a dream I had the previous night. Procrastinator that I am, I am finally coming around to posting it today! Sorry about the delay, but please do read on.

I wasn't in the best of moods when I went to bed that night, thanks to some personal issues and the overwhelming mood that has been this year, 2020, and it was a while before I finally managed to fall asleep.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am someone who tends to dream quite a bit. It is a different story that I hardly remember any of my dreams once I open my eyes, no matter how much I try to recall them again, but yes, there are exceptions to this. Today was one such day. It was one of the very few dreams that I can pretty much recall every detail of. If you wish to ask me why, well, your guess is as good as mine. How much about the human brain is known and understood, anyway? I am thankful it was just an interesting dream and not a nightmare (that is the subject of a future blog post).

Well, let me describe the dream. Nothing very significant really, but I guess relevant nonetheless, given how clearly I am able to recall it even now.

I basically dreamt that I was away from home, out all on my own, practically in the middle of nowhere. In the process of exploring my surroundings I discovered that it was already evening, and I needed to get back home. After waiting for a long while, a bus finally arrived, which I assumed travelled towards my destination, and I promptly got in.

It was only after we had travelled for some time that I realised that the route the bus was taking was completely unfamiliar to me and not the way towards my home. I finally mustered the courage to ask the conductor (hence discovering that I am an introvert even when I'm asleep!) if the bus goes to my place (Surathkal - I know, I am a faithful Mangalorean even in my dreams!), to which he replied with a weird smile that it doesn't, and asked me to get down at the next stop. Upon me questioning him as to which bus I should catch, he just said don't worry, the bus will come, you just wait and get on that. Very helpful, I know!! Well, at least he was friendly and not rude, so I guess that's a bonus.

Anyway, I got down from that bus, only to find myself standing at a bus stop that appeared to be right in the middle of a jungle, filled with trees and greenery, but not a human in sight for miles to come. I know, I am amazed myself at how clearly I remember this dream, right down to the colours of the buses and the bright greenery around me. Well, I kept waiting for what seemed like ages, all the while noticing that it kept getting darker by the minute. At long last a bus showed up, then another, but much to my dismay, one sped away even before I could go near it, and the other again apparently didn't go to my destination.

I was getting more worried with each passing minute, as there didn't seem to be any other vehicles or buses approaching and evening was upon me. For a change, not having a soul in sight in the vicinity did not seem like such a good thing afterall.

I was lost in thought and anxiety, when I suddenly found myself transported back home, much to my surprise. It was apparently the next morning, and I was relaxing at home with my dearest doggy sleeping next to me.

I was naturally really confused for a few minutes and wondered what was going on (still being fast asleep of course!) and it took me a while to realise that my dream had somehow magically transported me back to the safety and comfort of my home, with my pet next to me to calm my nerves.

Recalling this dream amazes me at the power of the human mind and the mind-blowing feats it is capable of. Trust me, I have had my share of nightmares that made me fear falling asleep, though I am so thankful those were just few and far between. But for my brain to place me in a potentially dangerous situation through my dreams, something that possibly exposes my deep-rooted insecurities, but then rather than trap me or let me drown in that scenario, to magically rescue me from it, thus restoring my hope and faith in the forces that be, is something which never ceases to amaze me.