“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis
Do you ever have dreams that stick with you? Do you ever dream the same thing again and again over a period of time? What do dreams really mean anyway?
I’m wondering these things because just this morning I was telling my friends Janel and Ana about my recurring Russian dream. Yep, comrades, Russian dream!
It all started because I asked them if either had seen the new TV series “The Americans” this past week. I was interested in the new show because its premise revolves around two Russian spies living in the U.S. as your basic, suburban mom and dad in the 1980s. The show was okay, didn’t love it but didn’t hate it, and it’s just one more example of the Russian in my life.
Now back to my dream. I’ve had a certain dream off and on for years now. The details in it vary here and there, but it’s almost always about me either trying to get to Russia and can’t or I’m trying to get out of Russia and can’t. Every now and then Florida is involved. I know, crazy right?
I’ve never been to Russia and have no Russian ancestry but I have always been interested in its history. In college I was forever taking “The History Of” or “The Politics of” Russia electives. And, I would love to visit Moscow.
So that’s my dream, but my Russian connection doesn’t end there. Just recently when we were in Key West over Christmas, we took a pedi-cab and when I asked our driver where he was from he said Russia! On my annual college girls trip last year I tried on a coat and as I asked the girls if they liked it, the store owner said he has a client from Russia who bought the coat in several colors! And, a month or so ago I was driving into our neighborhood and was behind a new model Volvo. I thought to myself, “I like the new style” and then noticed a “RUS” sticker on the back!
My friends and family joke that I must have been a pre-Russian Revolution princess in my previous life. Sounds good to me but could I also maybe be either a gold medal ice skater, gymnast or Maria Sharapova-like tennis champion?! I think I’d like my name to Nastasha.
This all reminds me of one of my favorite lines in the movie “Bull Durham.” Susan Sarandon is going on and on about being someone glamorous in her former life and Kevin Costner asks “why isn’t anyone ever Joe Schmoe in their previous life?” Good question, and quite funny too!
So what could my dream really mean? Do dreams really mean anything? In his book “The Interpretation of Dreams,” the legendary Sigmund Freud said the content of dreams is related to wish fulfillment. Martin Luther King, Jr. somewhat single-handedly rewrote history just by having a dream. You dream it, you can live it sometimes.
Still, according to the psychology section of About.com, “Dreams can be mysterious, but understanding the meaning of our dreams can be downright baffling. The fact that dreams can be so rich and compelling is what causes many to believe that there must be some meaning to our dreams. While many theories exist to explain why we dream, no one yet fully understands their purpose, let alone how to interpret the meaning of dreams. In fact, some prominent researchers such as G. William Domhoff suggest that dreams most likely serve no real purpose.”
So maybe dreams don’t indicate anything life-changing or earth-shattering and maybe I wasn’t a Russian princess, but as Walt Disney once said, “If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.” Maybe my mouse just happens to speak Russian. Dream on friends, dream on. Spasibo!
Beyond Words 