Threecat's Dreamtime

Not much this week due to illness. Haven't tried inducing since last week, but had a near miss last night and an LD this morning:

I am on a college campus, inside a coffee shop. I am eating something in line and not paying attention. Suddenly it is my turn to get coffee. I apologize to the barista for not being ready and he walks away from me. I try locate the decaf. I see the dispenser for decaf coffee and ask if it is dark roast. He says that it is. I order a coffee and then hand him a plastic coffee cup/thermos I have picked up from inside. It is full of Cookie Crisp cereal (apparently what I was eating). He looks inside the mug, and then dumps all of the cereal into a trash. I am a bit shocked, as I did not expect this. I go back to the displays in the story, looking for another bag of cookie crisp. I find one, but realize that I had emptied a bag into the mug without paying for it. I decide to steal this bag since the barista ruined my opportunity to eat the other one. I shove them in a plastic grocery bag I am carrying.

I return to the counter. The barista says I look familiar and asks where he's seen me before. I agree and say he also looks familiar but that I don't know. He asks if I went to a lecture the previous day. I say I didn't. I ask him if he's a lucid dreamer.

"Yes," he says.

"Oh, cool," I say. "How long have you been lucid dreaming?"

"Since he walked in the door."

I stare at him for a moment before nose pinching. Seems I am awake, but I check my watch anyway. It is spazzing out and being weird. Could be a dream. He comments on me looking at my watch, saying, "Oh, that's one of the ways you check to see if you're in a dream." I look suspiciously at him and say, "This is a dream, isn't it?" He makes some kind of noncommittal gesture.

I look around at my surroundings. Everything seems very normal and very real. This seems like reality. I then realize that if I wake up in a few minutes I will be sort of pissed. I think back. When was the last time I went to sleep?And then I remember. I fell asleep at home. This is definitely a dream. Elated, I fly easily into the sky. The dream is providing me with good flying energy, and I am soaring higher and higher. I look down, and survey the ground below me, before diving headfirst at the ground. The street scene has become an ocean, and I dive beneath the waves. It unfortunately does not feel very real, and the dream begins breaking up. However, I continue flying along, hoping the visuals and tactile sensations will return. I wake up.

Trying to fall asleep consciously. Begin attempt at 10:40 pm. After sometime of lying on threshold, roll over and check watch: 12:30 AM. RC and am awake. Surprised so much time has passed, but certain I did not lose consciousness. Lie back on back, just try to fall asleep. Falling sensation,vivid HI (can't remember it now, but I recognized it when I saw it), and then falling completely backward. "Land" in body. Warmth spreads over body. Body begins breathing rhythmically--fell asleep with hands on stomach, difficult to get deep breaths. I just let body do what it wants. Goes on for some time (30 minutes?). Undercurrent of thoughts, but I am able to easily observe them. Just observe thoughts while lying, and use breath as anchor.

Breathing begins to slow down. Continues to slow, warmth continues to spread through body until it is difficult to feel body. Can barely feel body now or hear breathing. I am just aware of my heart beat and some undercurrent thoughts.

Vision begins to brighten and expand, and outer awareness that is left very quickly dimming. I feel this is the approach of delta sleep. Heart rate increases until vision returns to black. I can hear my breathing again. I rest here observing thoughts and practicing mindfulness of breathing until my butt begins to hurt. Leg is also in weird position. I lie like this for some time, hoping to enter the "bright awareness" again. I finally move, and decide to try one last time. Am able to move body without fully returning to normal waking state. Pain is too much after a while. Roll over and check watch. It is 3:55 AM.