25 May 2025
Dream
I was at some camp or retreat that was pretty busy and had some folks from my grad school cohort. At one point it was snowy and icy and a group from my cohort, including my friend Selene, were part-running, part-flying through the landscape, quickly over mountains, down into valleys, and across roads and bridges. Selene was moving especially fast and seemed happy and relaxed about it, but I got worried for her safety. At one point she ran across the road and nearly got hit by a delivery truck, and I screamed her name as it happened, but she got through okay. I wasn’t distressed at any point in this dream, a bit concerned for Selene but overall moved through this landscape quickly and easily.
At the camp, which was a massive lodge with thousands of people, we had to stand in lines to get certain items that corresponded to us as visitors. We waited to be called up for stickers based on our favorite color, animal, and a few other things. Waiting in line didn’t bother me and I was in good spirits. I learned Cody was one of the facilitators, he worked at this huge lodge, and he had my stickers and items already ready. He had picked out my items for me, remembering that my favorite color was purple and the animal was either a cow (his favorite animal) or a bear (my favorite animal). I remember thinking it was weird they had no bear option, Cody explained this but I didn’t understand or just moved on. I then went some other places in the crowded lodge, and I had some cards to distribute. I apparently had some job or role at the lodge too. I think I went down some stairs and gave Cody some cards he needed. He was sitting at a table and after he looked at the cards a bit, I fanned them out casino or tarot style to make him laugh. He did and I felt very connected to him and that he appreciated my company. I eventually led this table and I remember being conscious of my hair and adjusting my backpack. Later I happened to catch him outside a sunglasses store, we were both heading towards it and he seemed surprised but happy, asking if I was also going to this store. I wasn’t so I shook my head and turned right at the entrance so we ended up parting ways. It felt like an inevitable and symbolic separation, like we could’ve connected and gone to the same place, but he didn’t really want that from me and it wasn’t going to work. It was a quick moment in the dream that symbolized an overall feeling of rejection and missed connection, and like that’s a shame.
Before the sunglasses store part, I and tons of others stood in lines to scream our names, scream in fear, and then laugh at a fenced ledge overlooking the icy mountains. We did these three things to increase our chances of being able to hear and identify each other if we were out in distress, or if we were just laughing. I was near Abi, a woman from grad school, who is super extroverted and funny. I made a funny comment on how none of the men were really committing to the scream part, and when Abi and I got up there, Abi screamed but it cracked and had way less power than I was imagining. I did it too with similar results, and it turned out Cody was around the corner and winced at the screaming, which made me laugh. I either explained what we were doing or he knew, and it was a funny, simple moment that I moved on from.
Later I was in a group of people, mostly women from grad school, including Izze. Izze and I aren’t friends in real life; I pursued getting coffee with her but it never materialized and I don’t think we really click as friends. I don’t think she’s that interested in my friendship. In the dream she didn’t look quite like herself physically and wore a flower crown and dark dress, and she seemed overheated or sick. I asked if she was okay and if I could help, and without speaking she made me massage her feet. This would’ve been fine but it involved her pressing her foot on my head, and some grittiness and debris got on my face and in my suddenly shorter hair. I kept massaging her feet anyway and would’ve done it happily had it not involved her using so much strength and pressing her foot towards my face and hair.
Overall this dream felt like I was among groups of people, which was sometimes sad or difficult, but being among groups/masses also enabled me to traverse hard landscapes easier.
