A wet dream

Not that kind of wet dream.  :)

Last night I had a dream so vivid, it scared me.  It wasn't a good dream, but it wasn't really a nightmare.  It contained elements of my real life and fears I only see in the movies.  I will do my best in the telling, not only for my own information, (with the horrible fear of dreams predicting the future) but to work on my story telling abilities (I am such a "just the facts m'am" kind of girl).

I was on my way to NYC to meet my girlfriend, Donna, who was visiting from Chicago.  (I don't really remember the mode of transportation I was using, but for sake of the story let's say I'm taking the train.)  I was happy and excited and a bit nervous.  My instructions were to meet Donna at the library.  Even though I've been to NYC many times, I'm unfamiliar with the library.  I understand it is located near the train station.  (In my dream the train station is Union Station in Washington, DC.  I guess a train station is a train station, but I like Penn Station and maybe things would have gone better for me, in my dream, had I gone to the train station corresponding with the city I was visiting.  Just a thought.  And, I don't really know that I'm taking a train, because there was no train in my dream.)  I arrive at the library near the train station that happens to be next to Union Station even though I'm in NYC.  (I'm telling this quite badly, I think.)

I enter the library.  It has a modern type of decor.  Very IKEA.  There is a curved, birch wood circulation desk with a librarian standing and smiling.  I notice a number of people in the area behind the circulation desk.  There is a doorway leading to, what I assume, are offices.  Library employees are milling about behind the desk.  I am looking around for my friend.  I'm carrying my purse.  My purse is EXACTLY the purse I carry in real life.  It is a purple patent leather tote.  Way too big for my needs, but quite stylish.  I don't know exactly what is in my bag, but I know I have my phone, my wallet and peppermints.  All of a sudden, I notice there are quite a few people around me.  I'm uncomfortable with the crowd around me.  I guess the librarian notices my discomfort and beckons me towards her.  I go.  She offers to take my bag and keep it behind the desk so I can browse the stacks and look for my friend.  I give it to her.  I go into the library and begin browsing.  While looking through some books, my girlfriend taps me on the shoulder.  We hug and greet each other.  Lots of smiling.  I feel happy.

We sit down at a table in the library and begin to talk and catch up on each other's lives.  Then the conversation turns to discussion of dinner.  Where do we want to go?  Donna suggests a restaurant near the Arch in Washington Square or it could be the Lincoln Memorial. (These landmarks seem to switch around in my dream.  It is so confusing to me.  Even in my dream, I'm wondering to myself, "what city am I in?"  No matter.)  We get up to leave and I tell Donna I need to stop at the desk to get my purse.  She looks at me in horror.  "You gave your purse to the person at the desk?  Are you NUTS?  This in NEW YORK CITY!"  I go to the desk.  I begin to think to myself, "I'm such an idiot.  Why didn't I ask for a claim ticket?  Why did I do this?  I'm so stupid."  I see bags hanging on hooks on the wall.  I don't see my bag.  I ask for my bag, they don't have it.  The librarian really doesn't seem to know what I'm talking about, at all.  She invites me behind the desk to look.  I look EVERYWHERE.  I'm frantic.  I go into the offices through the doorway and look in every drawer and closet.  I'm more frantic.  I'm panicking.  No purse.  It's gone.  I'm devastated.  I'm scared.

Donna and I look at each other in horror.  She is much more compassionate now.  Donna suggests we get a cab, go to dinner, and decide what to do from there.  Suddenly her iPad rings.  (Now, I have no idea why her phone is an iPad?  I know iPads do not have a phone feature, but this is a dream and this one did.  So, you will just have to bear with me.)  On the iPad is the image of a man saying he has my bag and if I want it I need to go to the lake in Central Park.  (Yeah, I guess we are using 'face time' on the iPad.  I think this is a really good idea.  Steve Jobs?  Are you listening?)

Donna and I leave the library and hail a cab.  We get in the cab, and, of course, the driver is the Cash Cab guy.  He doesn't speak to us.  We travel to Central Park, to the lake.  I'm very concerned, but hopeful I will get my purse back.  It's dark outside now.  So we're both a little nervous.  We get out of the cab and walk over the lake.  The vantage point I have of the lake makes me think I'm standing on a bridge.  I don't remember seeing a bridge, but this is what I remember of my dream.  Anyway, I see my purse floating in the lake.  The first thing I think to myself is, "crap, my phone is ruined."

I climb down to the edge of the lake and scoop my bag out of the water.  Yes, it's mine.  Purple.  Shiny.  Full of water.  Ruined.  I open the purse.  Yep.  My phone is there.  Broken.  I open the clasp of the compartment I keep my wallet in.  Yep.  Wallet is there.  I open the wallet.  Empty.  No money.  I'm relieved and upset at the same time.  I'm wet.  I'm dirty.  I sit on the ground and look through the wallet.  My identification is there.  My credit card is there.  I just don't have any cash.  I've been robbed.  

I wake up.

This is the first time I've ever taken the time to sit down and write down a dream, a vivid dream.  I don't know whether or not it holds much significance, but it was fun.  Here's some background for any of you dream analysis people out there.  I do have a friend named Donna, from Chicago.  I have just planned to see her in a couple weeks.  She's coming to DC.  This dream was so vivid, the first thing I did when I woke up was to go downstairs and see if my purse was in my kitchen.  It was.

Thanks for letting me share.  I hope this wasn't too boring.