Multiple fascinations from a single < 3hr dream

[PaulKH]

So, wow...what an experience gift! 😄

First of all was the time compression. This rare and detailed dream came after I had gotten up for a bio break and glanced at the time, and then again when I woke up, so I know for a fact it took less than 3 hours to give me multiple days of adventure. With only a few discernable instances of the mundane parts being cut out, I swear I dreamed details of at least an entire day--how does it do that? Does time run a little quicker in the dream yet steady enough that I don't notice the difference?

And then there were details that I'm not sure I could understand without my previous experience; so did certain detail come about *because* I have those experience, or would they have come about anyway but I understand and can communicate them because I have those reference points? The reason this isn't clear to me is I've found that the only time I lose details in this type of dream is when I am confused (and would have trouble describing it upon awaking); but when I can understand what is going on, have any kind of reference point, my memory of it becomes much closer--if not indistinguishable--to an actual memory.

So, the details:

The dream-me representation was much younger than I really am, with some indicators it could have been someone else, at least at some points. I was late-20s or early-30s age and had a travelling job I was unhappy with. Sales, perhaps? That's the vibe I get, but maybe because I consider any form of push-advertising/sales with the disdain of knowing it's unhealthy for both the person doing it and the person it's being done to. My estimation is this was somewhere in the southwest US because of the people I meet and seeing mostly semi-arid environments: low shrubs, cactus, not many trees, practical and cheaply made structures like motels and stands (like temporary bleachers) for fans of racing...

I had few details about the job because the dream-me ignored them as much as possible and so of course I did the same. That all changed when at a bar I met this interesting family, saw their big, gawdy, customized truck--the kind you see that screams "racing" or "complex flying billboard covered with sponsor logos"--and struck up a deep conversation and immediate friendship with them. They talked about the racing circuit and much fun it was, how they were always meeting cool people and fans and having wild adventures; this was the polar opposite of my travel experiences, so of course I ate that up. One of the tough/techie/mechanical women explained to me with a twinkle (love-of-her-invention) in her eye that what made her truck so fast despite its size was the custom-huge rotary engine, which can put out roughly a 3rd more horsepower than the V-types. I immediately agreed, telling her I once had an RX-7 (true) that could be perfectly balanced and far more smooth because of the Wankel engine. Had that engine design received as much refinement as the V-types, it would have continued to be vastly superior. One of those tell-tale signs that the "market" can make the wrong choices for the wrong reasons, given forceful-stubborn personalities like Ford.

With that twinkle, she assured me her beauty, this super-sized rotary engine, was refined past even that point. When they heard of my work woes, they said that despite the bottom of the truck being extra stout and heavy, there was so much weight savings compared to the massive amount of power output that they still had problems with it being too light, and could *really* use another person in the 4-seater cab... My car was a company car, my job was a soul-killer, and they were offering me a chance to tour with them as *needed* weight rather than dead-weight, heh, so while the real me would have wished it were possible, the dream me made the choice to experience it! I could leave my car, phone in "sick" to my company, and at least take a break from my life--I could figure out how to fit in better later, but for right now they assured me all I needed to do was strap in and enjoy the thrill with them--that they had a race in the morning! So, we drank and geeked out and bonded more.

The next morning, we set up at the track, which I remember was only partially paved, intricate, wide pathing with several sharp turns, and plenty of crushable boundaries (orange sand barrels like you see at some construction sites and raceways) to bounce off of as needed. To awake-me now, it felt like a clever combination of track racing and derby/street racing but was completely sanctioned (this was a professional tour, and the driver assured me they had studied the track and driven it before). I still remember the roars of the engine and this incredibly smooth truck purring (she had to add noisemakers to it to get the growl that fans expected a truck to make). Then the signal and the lurch forward! I think I was leaned toward the middle of the back with hands on the both front seats. The passenger pointed out a car that was their biggest rival (of course there was the rival drama!) that wasn't a supercar but was definitely sporty. Despite the speed of the truck, we were having a hard time maneuvering through the other jostling cars to keep up with the lead cars while on the paved track, mainly because of our size ("air displacement" is the term I think they use, and ours was huge, heh, like a miniature train engine!).

I remember several tight/tense moments of close calls, quick adjustments and the incredible *speed* of the racing! Then we were off the pavement, with everyone slowing to a speed where they could keep traction/control on the packed dirt or gravel, and this is when the heavier truck had the advantage. We gained and came even with the lead group (maybe 2-3 cars), and as they struggled to match our pace around a few turns, they fell behind us until only the rival car was left; then a final turn and it lost traction, sliding into sand barrels, and the race was ours! We were already celebrating, cheering and exchanging hugs even as the truck crossed the finished and slid to a triumphant stop amid a cloud of dust and hooting onlookers. With a huge grin, the driver told me "she" (her truck) handled better than ever and that I should tour with them. It was a no-brainer for me, so pumped full of adrenaline and the thrill of teamwork victory, even if the only thing I added was my weight and maybe leaning force (lol at myself). But our friendship was solidified by the win, and I knew we'd find a way to make it work.

(continued due to word count maximum)

 

[PaulKH]

We rejoined the rest of the family (which I think was a father of one of the women [and maybe a mechanic] and a pre-teen child), celebrating the win and their newest member to the team. We returned to the motel and I think we travelled to a new town to get ready for the next race (there was some time-skipping in this part which tends to just be remembered as blank-filling/mundania). Everyone we met were fans, happy to see us, their day made more exciting from seeing us, and it felt like I was coming home (fitting in and loving it). When I was curious about the place, admitting I'd never been to this part of the country before, the locals all talked about their favorite parts or handed me brochures. One young girl went a step further and excitedly dragged me around to some great sites, showing me a covered walkway/bridge with a great view of a desert mesa, and caves, and a few other things I can't now recall.

And once satisfied (nearing the end of a very long day), I thanked her for the fun and we parted ways after she showed me back to the motel. I remember quite a few details of the place, which at first seemed more rundown, but was not neglected because the people didn't care, but because they were busy doing more exciting things than building or maintaining pretentious structures (again, this dream had that practical/basic aura to the living arrangements, a necessary afterthought). This place had that inner hallway/tenement look, which has limited visibility and can be quite confusing to someone new.

I had gotten separated from the only people I knew, and so now the dream began to descend into the more typical not-sure-which-room-is-mine type scenarios (mirroring, perhaps, the uncertainty of belonging now that all the thrill and excitement had time to wear off). I remember seeing a few children running around playing, and courteous adults, but no one I knew.

Then in a left-out cardboard box, I saw a venomous spider (brown recluse, most likely) and would normally leave it alone--that's my initial impulse--but then thought about all the happy kids running around and that it was surely an accident waiting to happen, so I chased the spider off of the box and stepped on it while feeling bad about having to. (The idea that sometimes being responsible/considerate in one way still has downsides.)

I had been told our room number, I'm sure of that, but so much had happened since then that I could only guess, and went so far as to open a couple of doors since it was getting dark. Strangers would look up with no recognition, hear my request, shake heads, telling me they didn't know who I was looking for and obviously this wasn't my room. I was in the waking up stages by then, and already wondering why so many dreams have this element.

Why the complication/confusion when in real life we can be so careful about keeping track of the important stuff (like where our car is or where we'd sleep or where the bathrooms are) simply as a part of normal life maintenance? Yet in some dreams, we seem to be missing that basic function we take for granted, stripped of that simple ability (or reckless enough to have ignored it), as if getting an experience-taste of what it would be like if we didn't have that familiarization instinct in us, or to even lose that (Alzheimer's-like). Could this even be a foreshadowing, or perhaps a vestigial childhood element from before we learn these things? I know not, but I'm still fascinated by the possibilities, because for all its combinations/differences this type of confusion seems a very common element in certain dream settings, and I know many people have them (many, who like me, still have full faculties, complete confidence in orientation, and care with the details of living that it requires).

Heh, not the ending many people might want after such a joy of meeting new friends and the racing, but it is still valuable in its own right and worth considering.

 

[vanessa.johnson]

ok so the way this reads to me is your dream kinda ran in two moods. the first part has all the momentum and the people and the excitement and your mind just leans into that cause you recognize that kind of feeling already and it knows how to build around it. thats why it all came through so sharp, you had enough real life stuff in you to lock onto the details

then later when you get to the motel part everything slows down. dreams always do that when the main “story” part is done. the confusion stuff at the end isnt really about being lost, it’s more like your brain easing off the gas a little and letting the whole thing wind down. a lot of dreams end that way when the big action already happened

the racing and bonding hit strong cause that was the part you wanted. the wandering at the end is just the after part, the quiet side of it. nothing bad about it, just the dream shifting gears on you

thats how it felt to me anyway.

 

[PaulKH]

ok so the way this reads to me is your dream kinda ran in two moods. the first part has all the momentum and the people and the excitement and your mind just leans into that cause you recognize that kind of feeling already and it knows how to build around it. thats why it all came through so sharp, you had enough real life stuff in you to lock onto the details

then later when you get to the motel part everything slows down. dreams always do that when the main “story” part is done. the confusion stuff at the end isnt really about being lost, it’s more like your brain easing off the gas a little and letting the whole thing wind down. a lot of dreams end that way when the big action already happened

the racing and bonding hit strong cause that was the part you wanted. the wandering at the end is just the after part, the quiet side of it. nothing bad about it, just the dream shifting gears on you

thats how it felt to me anyway.

Hi again, and thanks for the consideration. The dream felt cohesive/continuous to me except in those final moments once the handoff to my consciousness had begun, yet the "easing off the gas" is a valid speculation (I have no alternative to that other than vague "feels"). Usually my similar dreams have clear boundaries and sometimes discernable reasoning even though I have dreamed much wilder experiences (space-walking, other-planet-visiting, some posted here).

Now that I dwell on it more, it could very well have been a cooldown session (that shifting gears--thanks for using the clever puns ) after such a heady mix of adrenaline and new friendship-forming. It's a potent blend of feelings, and giving it the proper space without anything else too strong to draw attention away from it could very well have been the purpose of the final bit.