Postponing lucidity ?!

What was I thinking!? (Happened twice over our downtime):

In this dream I was in a lockeroom - probably highschool or a gym of some sort. Something happened, not sure what, but it wasn't my usual dreamsign - I started to suspect I was dreaming. My first impulse was to shout out "I'm dreaming, ain't I?!" and then try flying. But instead, I thought (rationally?) "I won't make a scene here in the lockeroom, I'll do it later when no one is around".

:doh:

The dream went on - I forgot all about the reality check! :shakehead:

The same type of thing happened in a more recent dream.

My question is this, was I lucid or not in these dreams?
If I was, should I have even cared what anyone would think of my reaction?
Is it even possible to be aware of lucid dreams (within a dream) without becoming aware right then?

Only one good thing about these past two experiences - I didn't have to rely on my typical dreamsign to be tipped off. Maybe I'm slowly gettin the hang of this.

Whether or not you were lucid is just a matter of how you define lucidity. I'd say you were on the edge, but not quite there, since you never became fully aware that you were dreaming. Since you weren't entirely sure that you were dreaming, you were justified in not making a scene. However, there are lots of other reality checks you could have done. For example, lean up against a locker and see if you can push your hand through, or, on of my favorites, ask yourself what led up to you being where you were. Since you have the capacity to even suspect your dreaming in your dreams (I rarely have that), you're close to being able to achieve lucidity easily.

In the cases that you described I think you were on the brink of becoming lucid, but you were still under the control of your unconscious "dream mind". Had you performed the reality checks I'm sure that you would have immeditately become lucid...when I suddenly become lucid in a dream its like everything suddenly becomes so clear I'm almost sucked into "reality". Next time you want to perform a reality check like that, or you question whether or not you are dreaming make it a point to not put it off...don't let your mind play tricks on you like that! Though I know its easier said than done. ;)