Reply
Fri 11 Feb, 2005 05:03 pm
I had this dream last night that woke me up in tears.
It wasnt until now, almost half the day later , that I realized what it might mean.
It was pretty good so I thought I would share it.
I had this dream that i was in a large studio/theater like place. As I was watching the front of the room, alot of things were flying by. Every thing that I saw was part of a large equasion. I dont know how to explain it , but i knew that the images were either positive (+) numbers, or negative (-) numbers and for a while I was able to keep count in my head. Then ,,,, it just got too big.
But these images were of things I had done.
Alot of bad things started the show. Some of these things I had COMPLETELY forgotten I had done. Example : I was maybe 14, and i was walking in my neighborhood at something like 2 in the morning. I had snuck out of the house and was just walking around. I noticed on this mans porch that he had left out his watch. No lights on, nothing, so I walked up and stole it. The whole time I was out, my grandmother, ( now dead ) was crying scared at home. She had heard something in the house, ran to my room and found my window open and screen torn. In her mind, something happened TO ME, instead of me just sneaking out.
A few other worse things were shown to me and all of them were negative parts of the equasion.
The very end was the long part and the hardest part. Every single patient I have ever taken care of that died showed thier faces to me. It was like a parade. Some were angry at me. Some were just consumed with love. I wasnt able to speak very much but I remember telling some of the angry ones that "Alzheimers did this to you, not me" when they blamed me for thier deaths. Thier families, friends and other nurses ( who are now dead also ) were part of the parade. It was the most loving thing I have ever experienced in a dream. Each and everyone stopped this walking parade, turned to me and said something. Some were thank you's for helping them while they were dying, some were thanking me for reaching out to thier families after they died. I was on my knees just crying so hard I couldnt see alot of the faces.. but WOW.. there had to be hundreds. I KNOW there were hundreds. My nursing career was almost 10 years long and there were sometimes 5 people dying a week from this terrible disease.
I remember seeing people I had forgotten about and that hurt tremendously. I pride myself on never forgetting the dead. But I am human. It happens.
At the end of it all, the ' screen' of the parade went blank and this big slamming sound surrounded me and said NOT ENOUGH.
ANd I woke up.
Crying. HARD.
My thought on this dream is a life evaluation. I have done alot of good things for people I never knew, strangers, sick and dying people, thier families friends etc. I have done alot of bad to people . But if I were to die today, I dont think i am in -balance- with my good and bad. I dont think I have done all that I am capable of . I have not been as productive of a person as i should.
So, if YOU were to evaluate your life at this moment... are you happy with what you have done? What would be YOUR legacy?
what a dream wow!! - almost like a near death experience
similar link
did a dream inspire that question of y ours husker? or was it just a question to start a good conversation?
i had thought of this dream as a near death experience, but to my knowledge i wasnt dying in my sleep.
I think it was a well needed -ego- check to say the least.
wow, shewolf, your dream gave me shivers - that's incredible!
it scared the hell out of me frankly, but it sure made me think.
Quote: I dont think i am in -balance- with my good and bad. I dont think I have done all that I am capable of . I have not been as productive of a person as i should.
I don't believe that for a second, being a nurse you have helped more people than most of us will ever even get a chance to. Don't be so hard on yourself.
Have you ever seen a movie called "Bringing Out The Dead"? Nick Cage was a paramedic and the story of the movie is similar to the dream you described.
I would say that I am happy with my life as it is now, I learned that you have to live every day as if it is your last. I have faced death, without exageration, at least six times. Experiences like that have put things in perspective for me.
Hmm.. have not heard of that movie?
i will rent that tonight.. :-)
I cant imagine what it is like to have death staring you in the face , and walk away from it.
To say that it has put things in perspective.. is probally an understatement! :-)
Im not necessarily being hard on myself, I just believe that a person needs to do for others until they are physically incapable of doing so anymore. And I dont think I have reached that point...make sence?
Altruism at its finest. The goals you have set for yourself are high, keep that in mind in your pursuit of them.
do you think they may be unrealistic?
I think it is important to give back what you take. It is balance. And in order to have balance, the weight needs to be equal on both sides. ( I have a feeling I dont need to explain this thought process to you... ;-) )
But, any-who, that is what I believe that should be done. And i used to strive to do this on a daily basis.
lately, for some pretty awful reasons, i have been a taker and not a giver. it wasnt until about 2 years ago that I have started to return to my -self- and reorganize my life.
Maybe, that is why it feels so important to me at this time to emphasize what I give and take on many levels.
you really think my goals are too high?
( mulling this over............)
Incredible dream shewolf, and your analogy of it,
is probably correct.
As a nurse you have every right to get emotional and
with every passing patient you give of yourself and wonder,
if all had been done that could have been.
Your dream was showing the faces of your dead patients
and they transmitted love and reassurance that they're okay
and well, despite having died.
Your dream mends what you've probably been wondering
for a long time. You are in balance with yourself and others,
and even though you doubt yourself by daylight, at night,
with this dream your doubts should be removed.
Indeed it was a good dream.
Quote:The frantic lifestyle is taking its toll on him. He rarely eats, surviving instead on an unhealthy mixture of booze and caffeine. His eyes are hollow and red-rimmed, but nightmares deprive him of sleep. And he has begun to see the ghosts of the many men and women he has lost. One in particular, a teenager named Rose, stares out at him from the faces of many of the people he sees on street corners.
Here is an excerpt of the plot description.
CalamityJane wrote:
Your dream mends what you've probably been wondering
for a long time. You are in balance with yourself and others,
and even though you doubt yourself by daylight, at night,
with this dream your doubts should be removed.
Indeed it was a good dream.
Has anyone told you that you are wonderful with words?
that was great to hear. Thank you.
They should be removed, yes, but it doesnt quite feel like it. But as sublime pointed out and I am slowly chewing on....
my expectations of myself are incredibally high and maybe out of proportion.
Could be why I still feel..... unsatisfied..?
oh yeah sublime...
that sounds like a winner movie to me!
![Very Happy](https://cdn2.able2know.org/images/v5/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif)
I will see that later tonight.
Couldnt be more fitting for me.
aside that, i do enjoy nicholas cage.
Quote: just believe that a person needs to do for others until they are physically incapable of doing so anymore.
If taken literally that approach can do more harm than good for both yourself and your patients. Do everything you are capable of and strive to do better but also keep in mind that there are limits.
shewolfnm wrote:
Has anyone told you that you are wonderful with words?
that was great to hear. Thank you.
They should be removed, yes, but it doesnt quite feel like it. But as sublime pointed out and I am slowly chewing on....
my expectations of myself are incredibally high and maybe out of proportion.
Could be why I still feel..... unsatisfied..?
![Confused](https://cdn2.able2know.org/images/v5/emoticons/icon_confused.gif)
My pleasure shewolf
You feel unsatisfied, because you're still doubting yourself. Your dream
has shown you otherwise though, and what you now need to do is
accept yourself for who you are.
What you are doing right now is something incredible too. You're raising
your little bean to become a loving, caring human being just as you are.
This ist going to be your most important job, and the rewards are seen
on a daily basis.
Give yourself some credit and enjoy yourself. You are a good, loving and
caring person. Just accept it!
Re: A ' life re-evaluating ' dream
shewolfnm wrote: At the end of it all, the ' screen' of the parade went blank and this big slamming sound surrounded me and said NOT ENOUGH.
...My thought on this dream is a life evaluation. I have done alot of good things for people I never knew, strangers, sick and dying people, thier families friends etc. I have done alot of bad to people . But if I were to die today, I dont think i am in -balance- with my good and bad. I dont think I have done all that I am capable of . I have not been as productive of a person as i should.
And...that is precisely why you are still alive. Because you have more to accomplish. Believe it.
The dream was a moment of clarity about your life, shewolf. We all have them, though some fail to recognize them when they occur. The truly wise have learned not to ignore these flashes of insight. Congratulations on recognizing it.
Now, don't be in such a hurry to do everything at once. Remember, moderation. What you're doing with bean may well be the most important and lasting good you'll ever accomplish. Take advantage of opportunities for good when they present themselves...you don't have to rush it. Life happens at its own pace.
Very true eva.
More that I think about that dream...
the more I realize,
Bean... was not in it.