In the spirit of dream yoga,I'm sure most of us can use a little help in practicing lucidity in the waking. I know I can!

Take a few moments to recall your day as you would a dream. How well can you recall everything? Is your waking memory just as foggy as a dream? Can you remember any specific car you saw on the street today, or are cars in your memory just generic? Can you remember any of the faces of strangers you saw? Random things they said? How foggy or clear is your waking recall? Were you as aware as you could have been?

Can you remember any moments today that you could have done a reality check, but didn't? Or, did you do a good job reality checking today, and when and where did you?




There's quite a few times I could have done a reality check today that I missed. I went to the park today and I saw a really strange bug. It was bright vermilion. Big and fat. It had long dangling legs, and hovered perfectly. I couldn't even see it's wings, only hear a hum. It was alien looking!! And scary, I don't even know what kind of bug it is. Wasp family? Beetle? But I was already imagining the worst, that this thing, what ever it is, has a really big stinger!!

It faces me for a few seconds before disappearing in the leaves.

This was a good moment too reality check because I didn't know what this was. Imaginary stinging bugs have showed up in my dreams before! When I recall this waking moment, it follows just like a dream.

Another great moment I missed a reality check was a sign we saw halfway through the park. First off, there wasn't any sign like this early on in the park. But halfway through there's this sign that basically says WARNING DANGEROUS WILD ANIMALS! Then it lists all sorts of wild animals that might jump out of a bush and eat me, including mountain lions. I just wanted to burst out laughing. Mountain lions? Here, you gotta be kidding me. I mean, I wasn't even that far out into the wild, I could still here the traffic on the other side of those trees!

The sign also said to mind your surroundings. Which was even funnier when you take into account that right next to the sign was a BBQ area complete with a roof and rows of wooden tables. Yes. What better way to mind your surroundings and look out for man eating mountain lions then to be fully focused on your food and whether or not you've burned it

I should have reality checked!

Another time I should have reality checked was when on one specific path I became obsessed with moving. As in, I was too afraid to stay still because the ground was crawling the biggest and reddest ants I've seen in years! With really really fat heads. The fear of staying still, the fear of something biting me, that might as well have been a dream. I think I should reality check every time I'm scared something is going to bite me.

Next time!