If there were any doubts regarding my sanity, let me tip the scales a bit for you.
I’ve heard that the only dreams we remember are the ones that are either terrifying, or have deep significance. Today I was reminded of a recent dream that still perplexes me and yet seems to be linked to a recurring dream I’ve had since I was little.
Maybe it’s partially the fault of Field & Stream, since their latest issue has a feature on squirrel hunting. In my dream, I was with someone who was unknown to me and we were hunting squirrels. His method involved catching them alive somehow, skinning them, then holding them by the backs of their necks (I almost said “scruff”, but when they’re skinned, I guess you can’t say that) and treating them like puppets or like a pet.
They (people who I don’t care to and can’t immediately cite) also say that the brain’s logic center is mostly turned off during dreaming, so things that can’t be are often accepted and not questioned. My experience has been that when you begin questioning these contradictions, you wake; which held true for this dream.
My thought sequence during this episode was as follows:
1. That guy’s gonna get bit.
2. Why doesn’t that squirrel turn around and bite him?
3. What is the purpose of this? Is he going to let the squirrel go?
4. These squirrels are completely skinned!?!?! How are they still alive?
5. I think I have to pee.
Then I wake up and go pee.
I can only hope now that you’re secretly thanking me for normalizing some of the crazy dreams you’ve had; although there’s a good chance you’re just judging the crap out of me. I won’t blame you either way.
But on to the linked dream…
I’ve had these dreams, typically about coming upon some water that’s teeming with huge fish, only to find when I start catching them that they are deformed, unknown species that seem like some kind of aberration. There’s a momentary excitement, but it quickly changes to disappointment, then disgust when they’re brought in.
I have only guesses as to where this type of dream comes from. As a kid I was always fascinated when people said they were just fishing for a certain species. When all you know is a bobber and a worm, it’s a real grab bag as to what you’ll end up catching. It seemed strange that a person would value one species and not others, then on another trip the focus might be changed up. How do you make one kind of fish bite and not another? As I grew up I understood, but it’s still funny how we can bemoan a great smallmouth while we’re walleye fishing.
The other root is endemic to human nature, namely our tendency to never be satisfied. More, bigger, different, smaller, heavier…on and on. Maybe that dream is a grotesque manifestation of that endless chase? I don’t know.
The final cause could be as simple as plumbing, which as a guy, doesn’t bode well for my dream life as I approach middle age.
Regardless, I’m still left with the original question. Was the fact that I remembered this dream because it was terrifying or because was it significant? I’m hoping (and leaning) towards terrifying because I’d hate to keep guessing at the significance of a skinned squirrel puppet dream.
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