Friday, August 31, 2012

Life is But a Dream



Last night I had trouble sleeping and was awake most of the night. Not even The 23rd Psalm, which I've been repeating since I was a kid to help me sleep, could do the trick. Finally, I got up around 4:00, walked into the kitchen, made coffee and went online. With the blue moon on its way the old song, "Blue Moon" popped into my head, so I went to You Tube and listened to snippets of several versions including Ella Fitzgerald's and Julie London's before listening to Chris Isaak's and then Nat King Cole's all the way through. I sent Nat's version off to a friend, and then remembered another blue moon song, "Once in a Very Blue Moon," by Nanci Griffith, and watched that.

If this sounds discombobulated it's because I am.

I decided to try sleeping again but this time on the couch. What resulted were the weirdest dreams I've had in a very long while. They may have been instigated by the videos I watched because in the dream I'm walking out of the ocean under a very full, very blue moon ... literally, a blue colored moon. As a matter of fact, the entire scene is washed in blue. As the water falls away from my body, I walk up and stand on the beach. I hear sounds behind me and realize others, many of them children - all in silhouette - are also walking out of the water and speaking in a strange language. Someone I used to know is standing where the beach meets the grass and I ask her if she knows who they are and what they're saying. She just looks at me as though she doesn't know what I'm talking about and walks away.

Later, there's smoke coming from an unknown source inside the house I'm in and then I'm lying in a bathtub I realize has been replaced with one much more shallow than I'm used to and I don't like it. It's not porcelain like the old tubs used to be but has a raised filigree design all around the wide edge. It reminds me of the white iron headboard of my bed when I was a child.

Then I woke up.

Buddy was looking at me a little oddly from his place on the end of the couch. Still half asleep, I stumbled out the door with him and walked barefoot in the yard. The dew was cool under my feet and strange bird sounds were coming from the end of the driveway. Buddy and I both looked up at the top of the almost-dead tree across the road and there was a very large bald eagle with his wings spread out, white head and gold beak glinting in the early morning sun. He continued this strange cry for a couple of minutes and then relaxed his wings. He sat there for another minute or two, spread his wings again, and flew away.

Then, we walked back in the house and I decided to tell you about it.


"Happiness consists in realizing it is all a great strange dream."  ~ Jack Kerouac


Here's Nanci and the video that may or may not have plunged me into the ocean of dreams:





36 comments:

  1. THANK YOU FOR THE MOST ENJOYABLE POST!

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  2. Hello Teresa:
    As you are waking from a fretful sleep under a Blue Moon, so we are for the evening by the Blue Danube....well, poetic licence for the blue...!!!

    There is, of course, nothing stranger than life itself!!

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    1. Stranger than fiction... The blue moon arrived technically at 8:59 a.m. Central time, here in the U.S., waxing poetic on its way. :) Tonight we'll see it in all its glory. I played "Blue Danube Waltz" at a recital when I was a child, a story I will no doubt write about at some point. I trust you're having a beautiful evening.

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  3. I'd pay to take that ride you just told us about. Much better than that "Havana Moon". I really do enjoy good stories.

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  4. I'm sure seeing the bald eagle as you went outside made the night even more magical.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  5. I'm so delighted that you shared your dream and your experience, Teresa. I've played Nanci Griffith's Once in a Blue Moon a few times before commenting. Here's hoping you have a restful night under the blue moon.

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    1. She has so many songs I really like. Thanks, Penny. I'm hoping for a restful night, too. We shall see....

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  6. So many variations on that tune. I hear a snippet asnd it stays with me all day.

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    1. I'm partial to Nat King Cole's version of "Blue Moon." These songs do have a tendency to hang around a while.

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  7. "Life could be a dream (sh-boom)." Sorry, Teresa, but I couldn't resist showing I'm old enough to remember "Sh-boom."

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    1. So then, The Marcel's version is perhaps your fave? I've watched American Graffiti probably four times over the years, at least once just for the music.

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  8. I just happened to be outside as the full moon rose tonight. It was brilliant and exotic, all at once. And then I come in and read your blue moon post. What a place you visited. I'm glad you told me about it, the whole thing came alive as I read it. Most enjoyable post.

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    1. Hey Bob! New pic? :) I hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

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  10. Lovely versions of Blue Moon on Spotify by Mel Torme. May be on the toob as well.

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    1. He has a velvety voice, doesn't he? I just check him out, and found a nice dreamy version... :) Thanks, Tony.

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  11. I'm sorry to hear of your sleepless night, but glad that you decided to share the tale in such a delightful fashion - thanks!

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    1. t! You're most welcome. I think of you often in your adventures in life and all you do to make this world a good place to be. Thank You.

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  12. Your dream was quite an adventure. Hope last night was restful.

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  13. Thanks for sharing the dream with us. I have many a night like that and it was kind of funny to hear you talk about yours, because those nights visit us all, and it is almost comforting to know we are not alone in them.

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    1. No, we are never alone. Many people up in the night for whatever reasons, and it is comforting to know we're not alone. Thank You.

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  14. I just want to thank you for reminding me of that great song by Nanci Griffith. Your posts always set my mind to work on something and yesterday it was to a nice soundtrack. peace

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    1. Thank you, Bill. Nanci has so many wonderful songs, doesn't she?

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  15. Dear Teresa, occasionally I also have nights where sleep eludes me. When late enough comes, I have a cup of ginger/peach tea and often that soothes me and sleep comes as a gift. Then I, too, often dream wild, weird dreams.

    But yours really is filled with marvelous images and symbols. And Buddy there with you on the couch and then the two of you up and out into what we choose to call reality. And there you see the eagle. Here, too, is a poem almost the way you spoke it in your posting. Strange and mysterious. Haunting and redolent. Peace.

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    1. Dear Dee, I'm glad you mentioned the eagle specifically, as it was such an amazing way to start the day, in, yes, what we choose to call reality. I'm so grateful for your thoughtful remarks.

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  16. I was thinking of the original, 1954 version by The Chords. You may find it hard to believe, but I've never seen American Graffiti.

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  17. Thank you for writing about your blue moon experience. I too wrote about my strange dreams and could not sleep for two nights. Blue moons or just regular moons, they sure do effect us all! Thank you for sharing.

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    1. It's so good to hear from you, it's been ages! Thank you so much for reading and responding.

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  18. Don't ya just love dreams!! I have livid dreams like that too. I often wonder what they all mean. My favorite dreams are those that when I wake up and then go back to sleep and have the same dream again. Those dreams are usually of a sexual nature. Multi-tasking? lol

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    1. Dreams are endlessly fascinating, and I love the metaphors they create. I sometimes have a continuation of a dream and that can get interesting, too. Multi-tasking??? OKaaaay.:)

      Good to hear from you. Good timing, as always.

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