What a Nightmare!...

...I had last night. It was horrible! But I don't concern myself with these events. And I thought sharing this with you may be helpful to some.

Yes, I have nightmares. But I am a happy and enthusiastic person during the day - ready, willing, and able to take on my new project - Poladora. Why? Because I have a deep understanding of why we dream. At least, an understanding of why I do.

You see, I had a very traumatic event occur in my life a little over a year ago.  People are familiar with my health issues (such as my ruptured disc), but I'm not talking about that. I'm referring to an event that tested every emotion a person can have.

I'm tough. I grew up not under the best of circumstances, which can be read about on my other blog Glass Ceiling. As a result, there isn't much I can't handle. But this was a little different than past experiences because it went to the very core of trust, betrayal, and friendship. All huge issues in the human psyche.

As usual, I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and looked for the next chapter in my life, and embraced it. However, my brain was still filled with the emotions of the event. So, it lets off steam through my dreams. Well, I'd call them nightmares or night terrors, but I understand why I have them so I consider them all part of the dreaming process.

I have about 32 years of experiences, skill sets, and memories that are not always useful to me in my current life. And probably won't be needed for the future. What am I to do with all of this "garbage"? Well, if I don't deal with it during the day because I'm pleasantly occupied with something that makes me happy and fulfilled, then my brain is going to deal with it in my sleep. And it does.

I'm not saying that I am glad that I have bad dreams. But I am glad that my life is on a positive track, I'm strong as ever emotionally, and healing nicely physically. If dreaming gets rid of the garbage of the past, so be it. Talking is good too, and I have a very understanding husband and a few good friends for that. They are a blessing.

So the next time you have a bad dream, think of it as your brain's way of dumping the garbage so you can clear your head for better things. Don't ignore the dream - just take a quick peek at it's core meaning. Is it betrayal issues? Is it that you're lost? Are you out of control in the dream? These and other issues are worth looking at, if only briefly, just to take your mental temperature of what's going on. I usually look at  it as an opportunity to say, "oh ya, that's still an issue - it probably will be for a little while yet", and then move on.

A dear friend once told me "there's life after (blank)". She was so right!