A recent dream

I had a very vivid dream yesterday afternoon, yet one in which, at least at times, I was fully aware of the fact that it was a dream... and it was wonderful.

I laid down and fell asleep, listening to the classic rock music channel on our satellite TV.

I dreamed that I was back in the city where I grew up (I haven't lived there since 1997), driving around, and somehow wound up at my old high school. I walked around the campus for a few minutes and found myself at the stage door entrance to the auditorium where I performed so many times in plays and musicals as well as in the chorus.

I walked in and noticed that a great old song was playing: Creedence Clearwater revival's seemingly endless version of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine." There was nothing going on at the moment in the auditorium except a few students that appeared to be taking a test, so I walked around quietly, careful not to disturb anything or anybody, just drinking in the sights and smells of this place that at one time had pretty much been my home.

There were dozens of sets of painted flats, large rolls of old carpet of various colors, lighting equipment that was stacked on one side of the stage... all the doors to the dressing and storage rooms were open. It looked to me like they were cleaning things up.

I walked toward the stairs on the stage right side that led down to the main floor of the auditorium itself, and at one point as I took a step, I heard a crunching sound and part of the wooden floor gave way slightly, as if it were old and rotten. I stumbled and fell for a moment, but got up and continued on my way. In my memory, that part of the floor was actually poured concrete, but I'm sure that it was symbolic of something.

Instead of continuing on, I went back and crossed along the back to the stage left side, Creedence still blasting. It was at this point that I looked around and whispered to myself, "This is all a dream."

I exited through the stage door and found myself in a beautiful Spring day, and began to walk toward my car...

...and awoke with Creedence still playing that long ride-out on the TV. I smiled, pleased to have had the opportunity to visit that place again that I had loved so much, even though some of the details seemed off.

The auditorium in my dream was definitely the high school auditorium (or at least based on it). However, the location seemed to me to be where my old junior high school was, about a mile from the high school. There was also an auditorium there, and I did a number of activities in it, but it was much smaller, older, and darker. The one in my dream was the one at the high school, where I performed in "West Side Story," "South Pacific," "1776!," and more.

Still, it was a wonderful little dream during an uncharacteristically short nap (when I nap, it is often for 3-5 hours) :cheeky: that left me refreshed and in a good mood.