I Had a Dream

 

Last night, or maybe it was early this morning between 5 AM and 7AM, I had a dream that totally exhausted me both physically and emotionally. Since I frequently have dreams about losing my way, or losing an item, it was not completely unfamiliar. But this dream wouldn’t go away even when I woke up. I kept falling back to sleep and picking up where I left off, lost my way, lost my shoe and lost my purse.

The chronicle order of my dream starts me off in an auditorium with row upon row of empty seats and an empty stage (Pandemic, Broadway???), What makes this scene so peculiar is the side walls of the auditorium from the front to the back has a piled-up assortment of new shoes. There are shoes of varied colors and material, suede, leather and fabric. The assortment includes flats and stiletto heels, sling back and closed back, open toe and closed. There were even bedroom slippers of varied fabrics. The pleasing fact was these shoes were all for the taking or to be purchased at a vastly reduced price. Since my reputation followed me into my dream, “I would kill for a bargain,” I will be very busy trying on shoe after shoe and adding the shoe to my tote bag. After accumulating eight shoes and two slippers, I realize that I have not found mates to any of the shoes or even the slippers are each one of a kind. Nor can I even locate the mate to the shoe I arrived wearing. Oh well, one of the shoes in my tote bag will have to act as the mate. I leave this scene, which appears to be Macy’s department store. Outside, I realize I have left my purse behind, my purse with my keys, wallet, cell phone and everything else one would find in a woman’s handbag. 

Up to now, this was the fun part of the dream. The trek through every one of Macy’s showrooms to find the auditorium with my handbag is the frustrating, exhausting and debilitating nightmare. In each showroom I repeat my verbal saga about needing to find the auditorium with my lost handbag and the mates to my shoes. Each store manager sends me on my way to another showroom. The stiletto high heels are so uncomfortable, so I switch to the house slippers, two different ones. 

I have never been in therapy, but from literature, movies and TV, I know the psychologist will ask, “Well Ethyl, what does that dream mean to you?” I now look at what I have just written for our class assignment, and I realize I never write about a pair of shoes. I always refer to the missing or lost “mate.” Hey doc, could I be dreaming about my old age fear of losing my mate who will turn 94 years old on Jan.17. Am I worrying about being the shoe that has lost its mate?

Ethyl Haber