Dream a Little Dream For Me
"Stars shining bright above you, night breezes seem to whisper, "I love you". Birds singing in the sycamore tree, "Dream a little dream of me". Say "nighty-night" and kiss me. Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me. While I'm alone and blue as can be, dream a little dream of me."
I first heard that song in a movie that shared the same title. "Dream a little Dream of Me." It's an older movie...with the Cory's...one of them at least. (I think it was Cory Feldman...anyway.) For some reason, the lyrics have stuck with me. And I sing them to myself frequently. It's one of those irritating songs that gets stuck in my head and I can't get rid of.
I have always told my kids to "Have sweet dreams" when I put them to bed. In fact, we found a set of little wooden letters painted in pink a pink checkerboard pattern that spell out "Sweet Dreams" and have them hanging on the wall above the head of my daughter's bed. To me...it is important that my kids do have sweet dreams.
To me, it indicates that things are alright. If everything in your life is going smooth enough and you are comfortable enough with the series of moments that make up your day...then you can have sweet dreams. I love having days like that...and dreams that make me smile.
On occasion, I will have the odd...or strange dream. One that just makes you go "HUH?"
Like one time, I dreamed that the two guys I work with on night shift, and I, were super heroes...and that we had to fight evil German ninjas (hey...it's my dream...just go with it...) and we were really good at kung fu fighting in slow motion and once we were done fighting all the German ninjas...the President threw us a parade. I woke up laughing at that one...I mean who would throw us a parade for that? Seriously? We were just doing our jobs.
Anyone who knows me won't be surprised by this...they think I'm weird to begin with, and the thought of what I might dream about scares them, quite frankly. That's OK...I kind of like that some people are afraid to get into my head.
Dreams fascinate me...to put it lightly. I love how people try to interpret what they mean. There are some very educated people out there who have spend a lot of money and even more time on the topic of dreams and their hidden meanings. I think a lot of them are crackpots.
OK...they say we've a dream at some point in our lives where we suddenly realize that we are naked. (I honestly have never had that dream...I guess it is because I know what I look like naked...and I don't want to see that...even in my dreams.) But, anyway...they say we all have it and it usually means that you are trying to hide something and are afraid that people can see right through you...or that you have been caught off guard by something...or that you are unprepared for something that is about to happen in your life.
(Except Freud...He would say that you have repressed your true self and in your dreams the fact that you are naked means you are in love with your mother, and want to be in a romantic relationship with your goldfish...or something like that.)
OK...I'll buy that (except the Freud thing). But what if you really are just having a dream about being naked...because you have a fear of being naked? I don't know.
One of my favorite dreams to have (That I can write about here, at least...hmmmm....) is one where I'm flying. I have this dream a lot...and I just love it. Now...often times when this happens in my dreams, I know that I am dreaming...sort of. At least I know that what I am doing isn't going to last long...and I want to keep flying for as long as I can. Mostly because it is really fun...and I think if I could have any super power in real life...it would be flying.
The experts say that it suggests that I am on top of a situation. That I have risen above something. It may also mean that I have gained a different perspective on things. Well...that's kind of the whole point of this Blog...now isn't it.
The problem is that lately...for the most part...I have not been having sweet dreams. I have recurring dreams lately...nightmares. And it's no wonder why...look at where I am and what I do for a living. I am surprised I sleep at all sometimes.
Let's examine for a minute...what the experts say may cause nightmares.
Life - The way your life is going and the larger society as a whole can contribute to nightmares. Your perception of the world, heath, natural disasters, criticism about politics, finances, crime in the streets and your inability to control such events may sometimes lead to nightmares.
Stress - The way you handle and deal with stress can trigger nightmares. Nightmares are a normal response to unacceptable levels of fear and stress.
Work - Since most of us spend the majority of our day at work, it is no surprise that work-related issues are a common source for your nightmares. The nightmare may reflect feelings of frustration and an inability to control your work-related issues. People in high-stress level or high-risk jobs often report of having nightmares. Nightmares of this nature may appear as you being attacked, chased, or being out of control.
Wow...maybe they do know what they are talking about. I can relate to all of those reasons and can agree that some of them are exactly what my nightmares are about. I have woken up here more times than I care to remember in a cold sweat, with my heart racing, and (the worst part of all...) alone.
"While I'm alone and blue as can be, dream a little dream of me."
See...there it is again. And I've noticed that I sing that to myself after I've had a nightmare. For the whole next day...I will have that little tune running through my head. It helps.
They say that a high frequency of nightmares can be a sign of being overwhelmed and excessive stress which should be dealt with. Now...before I get a million comments telling me to go get help and talk to someone...you all need to understand...I am dealing with it. That's why you are reading this.
My outlet is my writing. I can talk to people about it, and do...but I have found that writing about it...just like this...helps more than anything. Do I need to go into details about what the nightmares actually are?
No.
For me...just putting the situation out there helps...a lot. And I don't think details are appropriate to share here...because one thing I will agree with the experts on...Dreams are personal and mean different things to different people. So what I see in my bad dreams may mean something completely different to someone else.
SO, why am I bringing this up? Well...because I think I will have a handle on it soon. If you look at all the reasons the experts say one may have nightmares...which I agree with...I will be out of most of those situations in a couple of months.
I can get back to having more sweet dreams than nightmares. I don't want you all thinking that all I do is have bad dreams. Out of an average week, I probably remember dreaming four or five of those days. Of those four or five dreams...two or three are nightmares. It's a lot, yes...but that's why I'm writing about it.
I know that once I am home...they will stop. Not completely...but for the most part. I will have the odd nightmare just like anyone else...but it won't be the norm. I wish I could say the same for some of my fellow soldiers. I know there are some who go home and will never sleep through the night again.
I ask that you think of them...pray for them if that's what you do. Know that they sacrificed so much to be over here and do what was asked...not necessarily knowing that those sacrifices would include never having another peaceful nights sleep.
I have talked to people before...soldiers who work for me...serve in my units...who have said that they can't see the positive in certain situations. That they can't hope for a good outcome. I tell them that it's alright...I will do the hoping for them. I will see the positive when they can't. It's my job sometimes to do all the hoping, and be the strong role model that they can turn to.
Who do I turn to?
I find myself in a similar situation. I can't seem to stop the bad dreams. I can't seem to keep the nightmares in check for now. So, while I am here, and I can't have the sweet dreams, maybe someone back there will "Dream a Little Dream" for me.
SFC NEWMAN
OUT
I first heard that song in a movie that shared the same title. "Dream a little Dream of Me." It's an older movie...with the Cory's...one of them at least. (I think it was Cory Feldman...anyway.) For some reason, the lyrics have stuck with me. And I sing them to myself frequently. It's one of those irritating songs that gets stuck in my head and I can't get rid of.
I have always told my kids to "Have sweet dreams" when I put them to bed. In fact, we found a set of little wooden letters painted in pink a pink checkerboard pattern that spell out "Sweet Dreams" and have them hanging on the wall above the head of my daughter's bed. To me...it is important that my kids do have sweet dreams.
To me, it indicates that things are alright. If everything in your life is going smooth enough and you are comfortable enough with the series of moments that make up your day...then you can have sweet dreams. I love having days like that...and dreams that make me smile.
On occasion, I will have the odd...or strange dream. One that just makes you go "HUH?"
Like one time, I dreamed that the two guys I work with on night shift, and I, were super heroes...and that we had to fight evil German ninjas (hey...it's my dream...just go with it...) and we were really good at kung fu fighting in slow motion and once we were done fighting all the German ninjas...the President threw us a parade. I woke up laughing at that one...I mean who would throw us a parade for that? Seriously? We were just doing our jobs.
Anyone who knows me won't be surprised by this...they think I'm weird to begin with, and the thought of what I might dream about scares them, quite frankly. That's OK...I kind of like that some people are afraid to get into my head.
Dreams fascinate me...to put it lightly. I love how people try to interpret what they mean. There are some very educated people out there who have spend a lot of money and even more time on the topic of dreams and their hidden meanings. I think a lot of them are crackpots.
OK...they say we've a dream at some point in our lives where we suddenly realize that we are naked. (I honestly have never had that dream...I guess it is because I know what I look like naked...and I don't want to see that...even in my dreams.) But, anyway...they say we all have it and it usually means that you are trying to hide something and are afraid that people can see right through you...or that you have been caught off guard by something...or that you are unprepared for something that is about to happen in your life.
(Except Freud...He would say that you have repressed your true self and in your dreams the fact that you are naked means you are in love with your mother, and want to be in a romantic relationship with your goldfish...or something like that.)
OK...I'll buy that (except the Freud thing). But what if you really are just having a dream about being naked...because you have a fear of being naked? I don't know.
One of my favorite dreams to have (That I can write about here, at least...hmmmm....) is one where I'm flying. I have this dream a lot...and I just love it. Now...often times when this happens in my dreams, I know that I am dreaming...sort of. At least I know that what I am doing isn't going to last long...and I want to keep flying for as long as I can. Mostly because it is really fun...and I think if I could have any super power in real life...it would be flying.
The experts say that it suggests that I am on top of a situation. That I have risen above something. It may also mean that I have gained a different perspective on things. Well...that's kind of the whole point of this Blog...now isn't it.
The problem is that lately...for the most part...I have not been having sweet dreams. I have recurring dreams lately...nightmares. And it's no wonder why...look at where I am and what I do for a living. I am surprised I sleep at all sometimes.
Let's examine for a minute...what the experts say may cause nightmares.
Life - The way your life is going and the larger society as a whole can contribute to nightmares. Your perception of the world, heath, natural disasters, criticism about politics, finances, crime in the streets and your inability to control such events may sometimes lead to nightmares.
Stress - The way you handle and deal with stress can trigger nightmares. Nightmares are a normal response to unacceptable levels of fear and stress.
Work - Since most of us spend the majority of our day at work, it is no surprise that work-related issues are a common source for your nightmares. The nightmare may reflect feelings of frustration and an inability to control your work-related issues. People in high-stress level or high-risk jobs often report of having nightmares. Nightmares of this nature may appear as you being attacked, chased, or being out of control.
Wow...maybe they do know what they are talking about. I can relate to all of those reasons and can agree that some of them are exactly what my nightmares are about. I have woken up here more times than I care to remember in a cold sweat, with my heart racing, and (the worst part of all...) alone.
"While I'm alone and blue as can be, dream a little dream of me."
See...there it is again. And I've noticed that I sing that to myself after I've had a nightmare. For the whole next day...I will have that little tune running through my head. It helps.
They say that a high frequency of nightmares can be a sign of being overwhelmed and excessive stress which should be dealt with. Now...before I get a million comments telling me to go get help and talk to someone...you all need to understand...I am dealing with it. That's why you are reading this.
My outlet is my writing. I can talk to people about it, and do...but I have found that writing about it...just like this...helps more than anything. Do I need to go into details about what the nightmares actually are?
No.
For me...just putting the situation out there helps...a lot. And I don't think details are appropriate to share here...because one thing I will agree with the experts on...Dreams are personal and mean different things to different people. So what I see in my bad dreams may mean something completely different to someone else.
SO, why am I bringing this up? Well...because I think I will have a handle on it soon. If you look at all the reasons the experts say one may have nightmares...which I agree with...I will be out of most of those situations in a couple of months.
I can get back to having more sweet dreams than nightmares. I don't want you all thinking that all I do is have bad dreams. Out of an average week, I probably remember dreaming four or five of those days. Of those four or five dreams...two or three are nightmares. It's a lot, yes...but that's why I'm writing about it.
I know that once I am home...they will stop. Not completely...but for the most part. I will have the odd nightmare just like anyone else...but it won't be the norm. I wish I could say the same for some of my fellow soldiers. I know there are some who go home and will never sleep through the night again.
I ask that you think of them...pray for them if that's what you do. Know that they sacrificed so much to be over here and do what was asked...not necessarily knowing that those sacrifices would include never having another peaceful nights sleep.
I have talked to people before...soldiers who work for me...serve in my units...who have said that they can't see the positive in certain situations. That they can't hope for a good outcome. I tell them that it's alright...I will do the hoping for them. I will see the positive when they can't. It's my job sometimes to do all the hoping, and be the strong role model that they can turn to.
Who do I turn to?
I find myself in a similar situation. I can't seem to stop the bad dreams. I can't seem to keep the nightmares in check for now. So, while I am here, and I can't have the sweet dreams, maybe someone back there will "Dream a Little Dream" for me.
SFC NEWMAN
OUT
posted by Unknown at 5:20 PM
3 Comments:
Luke,It amazes me how mature and wise you have become. The insight you have is from God, the same God who is watching over you every day.Just as you keep the hope for your men, we will continue to keep lifting up our requests for your safety. You & friends are not forgotten. Your OLD friend
Enjoyed yer post, Sarge. You write so well.
And a lot of people say that keeping a journal or blog is an outstanding way to 'purge the demons'.
It's a hell of a lot cheaper than therapy!
Hang in there. Looking forward to your next post.
Great work.
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