The Latent Negative of Dream

This sounds bizarre, but I thought I'd share it anyways. Some people are very in tune with their own bodies and minds and I am no exception. For me, I know that Bud-Lite Beer gives me a headache the next day, Keystone Light puts me in the foulest mood after drinking it and caramel can sometimes give me a migraine the next day. Any rich food has the potential for this for that matter. Every fall and spring the space at the base of my finger nails, the cuticles, dry out and break and flake and sometimes even bleed. Is there good scientific reasoning why certain beers do certain things, why tasty treats give me migraines and my skin reacts the way it does even with limited time outdoors? I am certain there is, but I doubt I will be a case study anytime soon. There's a reason, I just don't know it, but I know enough not to drink those two brands of beer, avoid those foods in large quantities and have lotion ready when seasons change.

There is also something I know about myself regarding dreams. No, I don't have visions or find anything symbolic or mystical about them. I know what triggers them though. Should I have a quick passing thought during the day or see something and pay it little mind, I dream of it that night. One day as I was crossing the street, I had to step over some new asphalt being laid on the ground. The street was crowded and it went unnoticed until I was right on it and had to hop over it. I thought about that split second and went on my way. That night, I dreamed of asphalt being laid on the road. Another day, I glanced at a "reconstruction photo" of a body found with no identification. It was one of those where they pour the latex over the skull to get some inkling about what the person looked like. Again, just a quick glancing over as I was searching online. That night I had the most wicked nightmare about people still living who looked like a reconstruction. It still gives me chills to recall it.

The other night, something quite bizarre happened. My sleep schedule has been quite messed up as of late. I find myself going to bed at all hours and needing naps sporadically. The other night, I had a nap early in the evening and this meant I stayed up way too late, despite the fact that I needed to get to bed. I tried to lay down and my body fought falling asleep, even though I was dead tired. It was like I was teetering on the edge of sleep and being awake. Suddenly, orange tinted images of my running shoes and Styrofoam cups began flashing in my mind. I was not yet asleep because I could see the room around me and knew I was awake, yet I was not fully awake to where I could turn off these images. The running shoes were flashing in my mind because I had noticed them earlier in the day and thought how I have not worn them in such a long time. The Styrofoam cup was because at my mom's earlier in the evening I saw her put one in the dishwasher (no joke). It was as if these images were trying to develop into a dream in my sleep deprived brain that would not go to sleep. It was as though they were negatives or the film my brain was trying to process into a dream. I know this sounds crazy, but it really happened. You may scratch your head and wonder what on Earth I am talking about, but as I noted at the start of this blog, I know my own body.