I Dream in Adult

I’ve heard it said that a true test of whether or not a person is fluent in a language is whether or not they dream in that language. For example, if I had achieved fluency in Spanish, I might have a dream about me and Jorge alimentar elefantes manís at the circo. (in case you’re wondering, George and I would be feeding elephants peanuts at the circus.)

I didn’t sleep extremely well last night, and I dreamed a lot of dreams. The topics of these dreams included: discussing theology with a friend (you know who you are), discussing current world events with another friend (you also know who you are) and grappling with various relational and faith issues. I woke up kind of drained with a strong sense that my dreams had been — well, boring. Snoozers, you might even say. That’s when it hit me: I dream in adult! I don’t feel like anything significant has changed since I turned 28. But even my dreams betray that my life experience has indeed grown. Gone are the dreams of saving the day with Mr. T and the A-Team, being chased in a circle by a lion (that was my childhood reoccurring nightmare) or practicing survival skills as one of the Boxcar Children. It makes me a little sad.

I do occasionally have very strange or surreal dreams that keep me entertained for days just trying to figure out what they mean. Sometimes the people in the dreams make jokes that stick with me (and those come from my own mind — I crack myself up). And there’s always the insightful dream that seemingly uncovers some subconscious thought or feeling.

After last night, I would be OK if I didn’t dream in adult for a long time. It’s hard enough to be an adult without the added boredom of dreaming like one. Bring on the Mexican food!