Often I'll become lucid in the midst of a stressful dream situation--I'm arguing with someone or I'm buried at work, and I realize, "Wait, I'm dreaming, I don't have to sweat this," and from then on I have more relaxed, fun interactions with the DCs.

It just came to me that I often have the same experience in waking life. I've meditated a bit in the past, and studied some Buddhist teachings, and while I'm by no means "liberated," I do have an experiential understanding of the highly provisional, dream-like quality of all experience, waking or sleeping. Often when I'm caught in a stressful situation, I have that same moment of lucidity, where I'm reminded of the ephemeral, impermanent nature of things, and the stressful qualities of the situation evaporate. It just occured to me that the moment of lucidity--the feeling of it--is the same, waking or sleeping.

Anyone have similar or contrary experiences?

P.S. Hi DV, long-time no-see *waves*