Dreamwork and Dinner
Once, as we were sitting down to dinner, I announced that we were having a “Dream” workshop. I made sure that everyone had a chance to share important news before I began. There was one dramatic groan at my plan, but the reception was actually quite positive. I explained the process and laid out the ground rules.
They were:
1. Each dreamer could take no more than 6 minutes (I would have preferred not to put a time limit on this, but Daniel, who has Aspergers syndrome would go on endlessly).
2. After the dreamer described his/her dream, the other diners would take turns asking clarifying questions. (I had to explain what “clarify” meant.)
3. When the specifics of the dreams were clear to all, my cohorts took turns expressing their interpretations of the dreams. It was important to start the analogies with: “If this were my dream……..” in order to avoid inappropriate personal comments.
Each dreamer/diner had an opportunity to interpret and share. Daniel dreamt about conducting massive military exercises in uniform with many soldiers under his command, obeying his orders. Coraline said that if it were her dream, she would realize she was bossy. Coraline dreamt about being married to Justin Bieber and having beautiful clothes and an awesome car. “If it was my dream, I would have called the doctor,” said Daniel. Nina dreamt about Justin Bieber running to her and hugging and kissing her. I silently wonder if my girls are confusing wishes with dreams, but we continue. I dreamt about a house which looked like a big ugly warehouse on the outside in a tough neighborhood. When I entered my warehouse/home, it was beautiful on the inside with many rooms, each time I opened a door, there was another huge and beautiful room. When I saw inside a room, someone was there that didn’t belong and I asked: “What are you doing in this room?” If my dream were Daniel’s, he would think that I think beauty is on the inside. If my dream were Coraline’s, she would think I worried about being too strict. I am touched that they actually listened to my dream and thought about it. Nina was still talking about kissing Justin Bieber and the workshop ended on a pleasant note.
