My job has me sleeping in other people's houses at least once a month. I've also slept in hotels and tents and cars and busses and classrooms and, even once, a library. I never sleep quite as deeply when I'm not at home. This is probably because I'm on a higher alert for any danger. Also, if it's a work thing, I don't quite feel that I'm off the clock until I go home. But I often dream....
When I'm not in my bed, I find that the dreams I have are different from my at home dreams. Recording dreams is always a bit tricky in the best of circumstances. But when I'm in a different environment, it often takes me waking to fully understand that I'm not still dreaming. By that time, I've sometimes lost the sliver of dream. Not always, though. I've begun recording the other people's dreams that I dream with a separate notation in the journal I record my dreams in. I don't always dream other people's dreams when I'm in someone else's house. Sometimes, my dreams follow me. But I can always tell when the dream isn't my own.
I wonder... when I dream their dream do they lose those dreams or does my passing through flavor them?
And what if some of your dreams have ended up elsewhere, too?
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of a passage from Dr. Seuss's 'The Sleep Book' in which two creatures accidentally end up swapping dreams. I wish I had answers or other thoughts to share, but all I can say is: interesting. Very interesting. :)