My daddy is my hero

My dad is going to be 75 next month. He is my hero.

Today he stopped by. He told me "I had a nightmare last night"

"Really?, I didn't know you had nightmares dad"

"Yeah, well if I get too hot, I'll have a nightmare. Mom had the heating blanket on last night. It got too hot"

"What was your nightmare?"

"Oh the one I always have."

"I didn't know you had a reoccurring nightmare, dad."

"Yeah, it's always the same. I get on a red eye plane to go to some city. Now the city isn't always the same. But I always know what city I'm in. Last night it was New York. I get off the plane and I get a map and I have to go to this building. I can't really read the map and I start asking people on the street to help me. Last night this guy helped me. He said oh yeah I know where that is follow me. And so I followed him for a few blocks and then he says I have to go this way now but you just keep going straight. Look for the red building and that's it. So he goes off and I take two steps and damned if I'm not instantly lost again. I went a ways but, they must have painted the building white or something because I never found the red one."

"Damn dad, are you serious?" and yes my mouth is hanging open.

"Yeah"

"Are the dreams really vivid?"

"Oh yeah, like I'm there."

"Sounds like a travel log rather than a nightmare. What exactly makes it a nightmare?"

"Well I'm all stressed out trying to find the building a I wake up with my heart beating fast."


So my dad has anxiety ridden travel log nightmares. If he could get the fear factor under control, he could be traveling all over the place for free. But, I could tell this isn't exactly a fun thing for him.

I have nightmares. I can't usually remember a damned thing but the stupid fear. I wake up scared shitless but hell if I can remember why.

Or I'll wake up and have a sense that I dreamed but, I don't know what about. Sometimes I can remember. Usually then I wish I didn't.

And sometimes I dream and it's obvious that I'm just trying to work something out. The dream makes sense and I know what it is about.