Dream Worlds

Neurons fire, messages zooming from one synapse to another. Then the hour gets late, and the person whose skull I inhabit goes to sleep. This is my favorite part of the day, by far. Her life is boring from a brain’s point of view. She reads a book occasionally, but she’s no rocket scientist. Sometimes I wish we brains could have a convention and discuss our time off together. I bet some of the most banal citizens you meet have a fantastic dream life. They’d have to, or we brains would get bored, and no one wants that. That’s when the hallucinations start.

My body goes to a job every day, raises the kids, keeps the bills paid, and the million other daily tasks that make their mind want to scream in frustration. It’s so mundane, so ordinary, that to compensate for the humdrum stuff we do when they’re awake, we make their dreams fantastic. In a dream you can do anything, be anyone, go anywhere. You aren’t limited by the confines of your budget, or even the limits of reality.

This is where we brains get creative, where we get to have fun you don’t. Some nights you might get transported to an alternate reality or take a trip to the stars. A dream isn’t meant to make sense. As I said, it’s our vacation from the dullness of your life. Oh, how I wish I had camera inside here…I could win an Oscar. Maybe two or three.

In a lifetime you dream many thousands of times, and each one is unique. How come we never run out of ideas? Us minds are creative that way. We can take 30 seconds from your soul-sucking day and create a fantasy worthy of the land of Oz. What if you fell asleep and dreamed you were at your desk, reading something from accounting about the new budget cuts. Then suddenly you look up, and Mel Gibson is staring into your eyes, giving you that heart melting smile. You drop your coffee cup, hot liquid splashing everywhere. He says something you don’t hear at first, so you ask him to repeat it. He says, “I’m a regular at the coffee shop down the street when I’m in town. You were in line in front of me. When you turned around, I couldn’t stop staring at that face, and those eyes. You should be on the big screen.”

I mean, it’s ridiculous to begin with. You don’t live in Hollywood, and your chances of meeting Mr. Gibson are about as good as being hit by a meteorite. But that’s the sweet deal, in dreams we’re not stuck with logic and reality. To us, your reality is boring, just something to pass the days. Kind of like the job you have is just a paycheck to you. A means to an end.

Well, you might ask, “If my dreams are so great, how come most of the time I don’t remember them when I wake up?” I answer, “Hey! I’m saving that one for a recurring fantasy series. You’ll see it in a few weeks. Maybe.”

You see, we’re sort of mischievous too. We want to give you a mondo fantasy, but if you remembered them all, you just might think your life was too dull. We don’t want you to sleep 24/7, 365. We need creative fuel from the real world, too. You forget the best of our work, and remember the ones that have meaning to you, or the ones that have impact on your life.

               I’m the stuff dreams are made of, sweetheart. I get to be creative, and once in awhile you get to remember some of the best times you never really had. To me, it’s the best of both worlds. Your real life even makes the cut every blue moon. Your dreams are the sweet stuff you wish your life could be. We don’t care if your daytimes bore us to tears. The nights more than make up for that.

               Fly me to the moon, fill my life with joy. Lay down on your pillow and close your eyes. I can take you anywhere. Whether I choose to let you remember it or not, it will be a dream worth remembering. I can guarantee you won’t ever be bored, at least when your eyes are closed. When you’re up and about, do me a favor and get a life. The comparison between the life you live days and the one I give you at night is embarrassing. Maybe it’s a good thing brains don’t have meet and greets with each other. I would be mortified at having to tell the other guys what my body does every day.

               I’m proud of what I do, and I think you should be just as proud of yourself. Stardust is the stuff dreams are made of. You have what it takes to be a star. I see potential in you. Let your days be the kind that your nights envy. Or maybe not…it’s more fun to make a daytime nobody into a nighttime celebrity magnet.

               Just promise me you’ll try to give me better material to work with. A better reality makes a better fantasy. Seriously, what do people like Madonna dream about? Her life is about as good as it gets, for a mere human.  I wouldn’t want to be inside her head at night. Maybe when your life is perfect, you get nightmares. But I wouldn’t want to find out for certain. Gives me the creeps just thinking about it.

               One creative artist to another, what’s it like to be able to do anything you want? I have no abilities outside of yours. We’re stuck with each other. I have the imagination and you have the means. We could do beautiful work together. My advice to you is, make your life worthy of me. I have no limits, and so could you. Do your best, you’re only a human being after all. I’m the David Copperfield of the night, the magician who takes the mundane and makes it spectacular. Baby, we could do so much more than even you think you’re capable of.

If you could see yourself the way I do, you'd be surprised at what you could do. You're so much more than what you are right now. Together we could be special. Together the sky's the limit.

By the way, I’m cooking up a great one for tonight, wait until you see it. I might even let you recall this one. If I feel like you earned it.