Not everyone has them. If you do have them, maybe you remember them when you wake up, maybe you don't. Superstition says that telling your dreams to people is bad luck. Yet there is a belief that the more you talk about your dream, the more likely it is to happen. I'm not sure I fully believe it's bad luck to tell your dreams. For some reason, I seem to remember hearing, "Tell your dream so it doesn't happen."
There are some psychologists who say that dreams reflect our worries, fears, desires, and things like that, which in some ways makes absolute sense. Especially if you're not one to take in all of the things around you. Sometimes we need a nudge to see what's going on. Maybe that comes in the form of a dream or nightmare.
Generally speaking, I don't have dreams or nightmares, but when I do, they are very strong and generally wake me up to the point of no more sleep to be had. The number of times that has happened could be counted on one hand. I guess I don't fall into the deep sleep that is required for dreams, as a tosser, turner, and being up every hour on the hour, there isn't much time to let dreams run.
Surprisingly, a few months ago, I had a dream that woke me from a deep sleep (for once, getting a good sleep, ruined by a nightmare!). I say nightmare because it truly was something I would never want to happen. Needless to say, immediately upon waking up, I woke up Gene and told him about the dream. He brushed off my dream as nothing (to the point that months later he doesn't remember me telling him).
What was this nightmare? It's summer in real life, but in my dream, it's winter, with snow on the ground and very cold. (My ideal weather!) Clearly, this dream is set at my current house. In the backyard where this takes place, everything is just how my yard is set up now - all covered in pretty snow. I'm on the sunporch because I realize two of my cats have gotten into the yard. None of my cats go outdoors, so I'm desperately trying to get them in out of the snow and cold. Peppermint, my tuxedo cat who was the matriarch of our cat family, refused to come in. Instead, she pranced her way along the shed and down the alley. No amount of calling, coaxing, treats, or anything would get her to come back.
Following closely in her footsteps is Rollie, a Siamese, another of my senior cats. There's a moment of debate in Rollie's mind - follow Peppermint or come inside with me back to warmth and food. Rollie comes in with me, while Peppermint looks back at us but keeps on moving. I'm happy Rollie came in, but baffled why Peppermint wouldn't. Then I wake up - in a panic, crying, realizing it was a dream/nightmare. Peppermint crossed the rainbow bridge last year, so I'm trying to make sense of this dream. The only thing I could come up with seemed far-fetched, but nonetheless, it was all that made sense. Peppermint was telling me Rollie was sick, her time was coming, and Peppermint was ready to guide her.
I know, crazy, absolutely crazy. There's no way that could possibly be. So like any crazy person, I called the vet at 7:20 am (they open at 7) after fighting with myself that I was absolutely crazy and that no, I wasn't. What could the vet do for me? Confirm some facts from Rollie's last visit. The receptionist answers (someone who always has a smile, ready to help and a shoulder to lean on). I say I just need to know a few things about Rollie's last visit, then I'll tell you why and you can call me crazy. We both laugh, I say I'm definitely having a rough morning.
My questions: When was Rollie in (not too long ago, she's current on her shots), did we do bloodwork (we did), how did the results look (they go over them with me when we get them back, but confirmed nothing to worry about). So I say, "Boy, what a relief," but now why am I frantically looking for those answers? Because of the above-mentioned dream where Peppermint is coaxing Rollie to follow her. I tell this all to the receptionist and she says: nope you're fine! It's just peppermint saying you're doing a good job taking care of the rest of the cats.
I go on about my day after we laugh about the dream. What a relief that Rollie is up to date with everything and shows no signs of anything to keep an eye on. Life should go back to normal at this point, right? Wrong, not with 12 cats. Instead, we end up at the annual visit time for the Siamese cats (Rollie and Smokey). Rollie gets sick a week before her scheduled visit, so I take her in for an emergency visit. The next week, Smokey goes in for her visit. They both get updated on shots and bloodwork. Rollie has lost some weight, but not enough to be alarmingly concerning.
We received results for both of them - Kidney Disease. I probably shed a few tears over this before the panic set in. Now we have two cats that need a special diet, supplements, etc. Gene and I are maxed out on time to dole out meds, prescription food is expensive. We free feed, how am I going to make this work.
Just as I feel like I'm getting the kidney disease situation sorted out (including putting 11 cats on prescription food), Rollie gets a "cold," or so we thought, followed by her eye being mostly closed. Two more emergency vet visits for her led to the diagnosis of a tumor/cancer.
While all that is going on, all I keep thinking is Peppermint tried to tell me. She showed up in a dream, and I tried my best to make sure all was well with Rollie. The thing with Cancer/Tumors is that they can go undetected, with no symptoms, and then it's a full-blown thing. So yes, I followed up with my vet, they double-checked the blood work for me, and did everything they should have. I did everything I could, but still, we missed the tumor.
So, do dreams come true if you tell someone? This time, it absolutely did. Do I sound like a crazy person? Absolutely. But at the end of the day, I would do all that again.
In addition to that, I wear a Fitbit every day. I NEVER hit my "zone" workout. I literally have to be out hiking to make that happen. So imagine my shock when, sitting on the floor at the vet's office holding Rollie, she's taking her last breath and my Fitbit goes off saying I hit my "Zone" workout. I almost died right there. Gene chalked it up to me knowing Rollie took her last breath and I was so worked up. My friend Barb said, maybe it was Peppermint saying she was there and is showing Rollie the way. I am more inclined to believe Barb. It aligns with the dream, as wacky and crazy as it may be. But Peppermint and I were soul mates so it makes sense that she is still attached to me in some way, even if it's unrealistic.
Hug your fur kids a little closer today, take pictures of them all the time. Cherish the good times, laugh at the bad times, and enjoy every minute with them!
Till our tails cross,
Mel
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