Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Oh, I get it... the RV is a Metaphor for my Life

I had a weird dream last night. An old friend of mine dropped by for a visit. I hadn't seen her in years, and she was driving her RV across the country. After introducing her to the family and asking her if she wanted to see the local sights, we packed up the RV and were soon driving through the countryside.

Next thing I knew, we were driving along a winding road next to the river and I was suddenly driving... only I wasn't really driving. I was still in the passenger seat and the steering wheel was too small and sensitive - almost like a joystick with the sensitivity set too high. The scenery was bouncing by as if we were on a cheap soap opera TV set, not like real life. I was uncomfortable driving, but was able to maintain control. I ceased enjoying the scenery and focused intently on keeping the RV on the road as the curves became progressively tighter. As we rounded a bend, I pressed the brake, but the RV didn't slow down. The scenery continued to bounce, and the family began to get tossed around in the back of the RV.

I looked over at my friend, who was still sitting in the driver's seat, complete with a steering wheel and all of the normal driver's controls, and told her that the brakes weren't working and that I needed her to press on the brakes with me to slow down the RV. We both pressed on our respective brake pedals, yet the RV maintained a constant speed.

Suddenly we rounded another curve that double-backed on itself and I was unable to keep the RV on the road. We went off the road and into the river with a splash. As the RV began to sink into the water, I helped the wife and kids out of the RV. Fortunately the water was only knee deep, but it was cold. This also kept the RV from completely submerging, but we were definitely stuck.

Next thing I knew, we were all on an island in the river. The sun was warming us, we were in summer attire, and there were beach chairs for each one of us. I briefly focused on getting the still-stuck RV to shore and back on the road, but soon set that aside as the family urged me to let it go for a bit and enjoy our day at the beach.

I generally don't remember my dreams, and on the rare occasions where I do, I don't spend a lot of time dwelling on them. I do, however, believe that dreams can occasionally offer some insight that the conscious mind misses. In this case, I think the RV is my life, and my dream was a reminder that even if things get out of control, the consequences aren't going to be as bad as I fear and that no matter what, I've got my family with me. And my friend? Well, she was simply the person who delivered the metaphor.

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