For several years, we have had a family “Dream Book”–it has become a worn, oft-consulted manual with soft, slack binding. I’m certain I picked it up off one of the clearance stacks at a book store and brought it home to add to our already overflowing shelves of books. I thought it might be a fun book to have around.
For once, I was right. Consulting the book of dream symbols has become a common activity and a great conversation starter–even on those grumpy, hormonal and stressed mornings that occur far too often around here.
As a family who likes to tell stories, sharing our dreams has grown into another way of storytelling. After all, we don’t have to take credit for authoring our dreams–they just come to us, and trying to decipher the dream symbols often turns into interesting and fun conversations we would not have otherwise shared. Not to mention the fact that I like to think it is a little educational–that my kids have learned to think in terms of metaphors and symbolic representation, which in turn helps them with their literature compositions and spiritual understanding.
Plus, I think it fosters some self-awareness. Even if we do end up in a fit of giggles over the apparent interpretation of our crazy dream most certainly brought on by too much sausage pizza, we all get to focus on ourselves for a moment (not always easy in a bustling family) and wonder what might be going on in the recesses of our brains. Am I really stressed about that upcoming presentation? Why was SHE in my dream last night?
Besides, it’s all in good fun–and as anyone who’s living in a house full of teenagers would tell you–fun can be hard to come by…