Dreams and Sleeping

I have been having the strangest dreams lately.

One night, I dreamt that I was dating one of my younger brother's old friends from high school.

The other night, I dreamt that my good friend, a Young Life director, was 6 months pregnant and marrying a born again Christian dad of two little girls from previous relationships.

Last night, I dreamt that Obama was my dentist and charged me over $4,000 for a 45 minute checkup and consultation. I was PISSED. He misled me in the dream and I remember analyzing his political savvy, the way he made me feel like I could trust him. The dream ended with him getting ready for a rally and me playing basketball with his two little girls as his wife Michelle watched with a big smile.

Strange dreams? yes.

I've also been having anxiety the moment I wake up and I finally connected my sleeping environment with my mental and emotional state when I woke up. Do you know that almost every day, I wake up to the sound of a baby crying in one the of the apartments facing the courtyard? This baby cries in the middle of the night, definitely early in the morning and will cry for hours. The crying sounds are really strange too. Sometimes it sounds like an owl. And the baby always sounds as if it is in distress. There are varying pitches of distress but the disturbing thing is that it is always neglected. The baby sounds utterly alone, crying in the darkness, crying for someone to come pick it up, and then finally falling into exhaustion before starting up again a few minutes later.

I lay awake this morning, my chest tight, fretting. And then I realized, actually, this has nothing to do with me. If the baby stops crying, I feel fine. When the baby cries, it stresses me out. Time for an environmental change! I'm glad I am going away and not coming back.