Strange dream

[draconis]

For some reason, my subconscious decided to put me in a "fox and hounds" scenario in my dreams last night, with me as the fox against roughly two dozen teenage males as the hounds. They had to find me, catch me, and hold me for a certain period of time (measured in seconds, I think), before a particular deadline had passed.

We were at a school -- a combined Middle and High School, I think, with one large, multi-story building for all the classrooms, and decent-sized grounds. The hounds were all students there and were all boys that I know (or have known) in the "waking world"... including a couple of boys from the scout troop I used to work with (and still at that same age), and some of the younger students I helped train in the Nashville dojo -- all good kids. The location was another matter -- even though I was very familiar with the building and the grounds in the dream, it's not anywhere I've ever actually seen.

It was partially a training exercise (and I think that as far as the hounds knew, that's all it was), but in the back of my mind I was aware of some unspecified dire consequence if they succeeded. (Dire consequence just for me, like if this was also a training exercise for me and that meant I failed? or something larger? I don't know.)

I must have been in much better physical condition than I've actually been in for many many years, because during most of the dream I'm sprinting along hallways, up and down staircases, or across the grounds of the school. I remember a few times they managed to catch me, and I had to break loose from them and get away without actually harming them (as opposed to hurting them -- I'm sure a few of them had some interesting new bruises later ::G::).

I remember feeling both proud of them, and irritated ::G::, because they were at least partially working as a team, doing things like stationing people at each of the staircases, doors, etc. The "proud of them" makes me think that I was one of their trainers, or somehow related to their training. The "frustrated" was because it meant they were making my job harder. Not sure what that job was, beyond not getting caught, but there seemed to be something. If nothing else, them stationing lookout would have made it easier for me not to get caught -- every one of them standing guard duty is one of them not chasing me.

Meanings? I have no idea. These were all young teenagers, all males, all kids that I know or have known, but not ones I currently interact with on a regular basis. Was I trying to run away from things in my past? Am I trying to see my students as something less than adults?

Or was it just random images from my subconscious? As Freud would say, "Sometimes a cigar... is just a cigar."

Comments

[devohoneybee.livejournal.com]

What come to mind for me: what has the aspect of making us feel both proud and frustrated/hemmed in? And the answer I came up with is "responsibilities". We're proud to have them, glad when they succeed, but they can also "chase" us, weigh us down, sap energies. The dream is also an interesting comment on the complexities of being a teacher/leader of others in terms of power (on the one hand) and service (on the other).

Or, it could just mean you're a sly old fox. ;)

(using my only canine icon)

[jcbdragon.livejournal.com]

::G:: or it could mean more than one of those things... ;-)

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

Fascinating, really!

[jcbdragon.livejournal.com]

::S:: Thanks!