Better Living Through Zoology: Of Birds and Babies and Dreams

A few weeks back, a robin built a nest on our front door wreath. This was both pretty cool and nerve-wracking. There’s a window in the top of the front door, which meant we could see her, but also that she could see us. She was understandably nervous, and flew away whenever we had to cross the living room. Plus, the front door is a pretty high traffic area. At the very least, you had the mailman coming by, and us coming by to pick up the mail. All of this made me worry a bit about Mrs. Bird.

My wife lovingly pointed out that it wasn’t my bird, it was God’s bird. Sort of a reverse Matthew 6:26. “Why then do you worry about the birds? Doesn’t God take care of you?”

Anyway, two weeks or so ago, the eggs hatched, but only one baby made it. He’s the pink and gray blob at the top right.

But Junior has been growing steadily, and some day soon will leave the nest.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Adair has been nesting as well, getting ready to hatch our baby girl come the end of June. Sheridan Danielle has been well supplied by family, friends, church folks, and co-workers, so there has been much nesting.

All this is introduction to say – last week I had some weird dreams.

I dreamed I was holding Sheridan. She was about three months old. Chubby. Kind of fussy. And she had red hair.

This is a possibility. Everybody in my family was born blond and turned brown except me. But I have a red beard. My dad was a carrot top. Jeni’s family is pretty evenly brown-headed, but you never know.

My friend Matt has a theory that there are only three kinds of red-headed people:
1) Nerds, especially the band variety
2) Bullies
3) The hot red-headed girl (the rarest of all)

I hope Sheridan is the third kind, but I’ll be happy as long as she isn’t a bully.

I also dreamed on a different night that I was helping Jeni clean out the closet in the baby’s room, and I found some baby birds nesting in there. Including a baby toucan.

Here’s a picture of a baby toucan:

I’m pretty proud of my subconscious mind. To my knowledge, I had never seen a baby toucan, but I knew that’s what I had seen, and after looking it up said, “Hey, I was pretty close!”

In dream world, by the way, it is perfectly reasonable that a toucan might find its way into our second bedroom and build a nest in the closet.

As always in these situations, I turn ironically to the internet to help me interpret my dreams, and then add my own two cents.

The internet:
Babies: “To see a baby in your dream, signifies innocence, warmth and new beginnings. Babies symbolize something in your own inner nature that is pure, vulnerable, helpless and/or uncorrupted.”

Bird (nest): “To see a bird nest in your dream, symbolizes independence, refuge and security. You need something to fall back on. Alternatively, it may signify a prosperous endeavor, new opportunities, and fortune.”

Redhead: “To dream that you are a redhead, suggests that you need more spontaneity and vitality in your life. Make some dramatic changes.”

Shockingly, the internet A-Z dream dictionary did not have an entry for “toucan” or “baby toucan.” So here’s mine.

Toucan: “To see a toucan in your dream signifies that you are self-conscious about the size of your nose. It may also mean that you are seeking guidance, something or someone to follow. It may mean that you will start spelling “fruit” like this - “froot” – so that there is a visual connection as well as assonance with “loops.”

Baby Toucan: “To see a baby toucan symbolizes that you long for something new and exotic in your life – like a tropical vacation.”

Don't Stop Believing - In Your Dreams

My wife has cool dreams. It was in one her dreams that I did something incredibly cool - but since I didn't dream it, it sounds like bragging. You'll have to ask her about it sometime. Suffice it to say that it involved barbarians.

I will tell you what I think is the best dream she has had, though. It seems the band "Journey" was coming to Waco on their new world tour, and Jeni had a friend of a friend who was on their crew. For some reason, neither Ross Valory or his former replacement Randy Jackson could make it, so the band needed a bass guitar player.

Enter: Jeni.

(If any of you are good at Photoshop and would like to put my wife's face in the above photo, I would be forever grateful.)

Jeni was pretty excited to get to play, but told her friend she didn't know that many "Journey" songs, and the friend promised to get her a greatest hits album to practice with. Well, the night of the big concert came, and Jeni was all decked out in her do-rag, baggy jeans, white t-shirt, and red Converse high tops, but she still didn't know the music. About thirty minutes before the show she grabbed the stage manager, and he hooked her up. So, with a mere thirty minutes of practice time, my wife played bass guitar for "Journey."

My favorite part is that she also dreamed she was at the grocery store a few days later, and a little girl saw her and excitedly said, "Hey, aren't you the bass player for Journey?!?"

Interpretation:

Here's what I could gather from the free Internet dream interpretation site -

"Journey" - To dream that you are going on a journey, signifies profits, self-discovery or progress. The scenery you see in your journey is telling of your feelings and circumstances you may be currently experiencing. To dream that your friends go on a journey, signifies delightful and welcomed change and harmony.

"Concert" - To dream that you are at a concert, represents harmony and cooperation in a situation or relationship of your waking life. You are experiencing an uplift in your spirits.

Just for fun - "Barbarian" - To see a barbarian in your dream, represents the savage and instinctual aspect of your character.

Here's the ones I made up:

"Bass Guitar" - To see a bass guitar in your dream signifies that you keep your emotions under control, and that you seek to be a source of strength and consistency for others. If you are playing the bass, and you and the lead guitar lean against each others' backs to play, this signifies that you are totally awesome.

"Journey (band)" - To see the band Journey in your dream signifies that you had some good times in late 70s and early 80s, and you are trying to recapture those feelings. To dream that you are a member of the band shows that you will have conflict with a lead singer in the near future.
Alternatively, this may indicate that you are a small town girl, living in a lonely world. Don't stop believing, hold on to the feeling - streetlight people. Woh-oh-oh.

Swimming With Jesus in Your Dreams

About three years back, I had the coolest dream I have had so far in my life. I was out on the ocean in a speedboat with Jesus. I was wearing a swimsuit, He was wearing His traditional white robe. There was no land in sight, and I decided to go swimming. Normally, I would be terrified to swim in the ocean - the vastness of unseen depths gives me the shivers. But because I was with Jesus, I guess I figured I would be fine. I swam for a while and then got back in the boat. Then Jesus got in the water, robe and all, and started doing a stroke I had never seen before - sort of a side-stroke/butterfly combination - and He was going FAST. So fast that I cranked up the engine and started keeping pace with Him in the water, and eventually had it at full throttle, with Jesus easily swimming alongside. At that point, my wife woke me up and told me I was making strange noises.

Using the very official free internet dream interpretation site, here's what I have gathered:

Jesus - "To see Jesus in your dream, foretells that your greatest desires and goals will be realized. This dream serves to console and strengthen you in your times of adversity, hardship and struggle. You will rise above any situation and circumstance and become victorious."

Ocean - "To see an ocean in your dream, represents the state of your emotions and feelings. It is indicative of some spiritual refreshment, tranquility and renewal.
To dream that you are traveling across the ocean, signifies new found freedom and independence. You are showing great courage."

Boat - "To dream that you are in or see a boat, signifies you ability to cope and express your emotions. Pay particular attention to the condition and state of the waters, whether is is calm or violent, clear or murky, etc. Are you "smooth sailing"? Alternatively, you may be ready to confront your unconscious and unknown aspects of yourself. To dream that you are trying to jump off a boat, suggests that you want to dive directly in and confront those difficult emotions and approach your problems head on."

Robe - "To see or wear a robe in your dream, signifies personal issues that you need to confront. The dream may also refer to your secret desire to let loose."

Swimming, as we learned yesterday, suggests you are "exploring aspects of your subconscious mind and emotions." There was no entry on what it means when Jesus swims a new stroke and you race Him in a speedboat, but feel free to make one up and put it in a comment!

P.S. After writing this, I found myself humming the hymn "Living for Jesus," with slightly different lyrics. Here's the original first verse:

Living for Jesus a life that is true/ Striving to please Him in all that I do/ Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free/ This is the pathway of blessing for me

Here's my version:

Swimming with Jesus a stroke that is new/ Out on the ocean so deep and so blue/
Pushing the throttle, as far as 'twill go/ Jesus will keep pace, as though 'twere slow

Enjoy!

Penguins and the Interpretation of Dreams

Last night I dreamed I was a penguin. A cartoon penguin, like the ones in Mary Poppins, but without the bow-tie. I heard, as if being narrated in one of those nature shows, that I and other penguins like me were on the decline because we had lost the skills needed to work together to catch fish. I remember trying to rally the other penguins around me to prove the narrator wrong, and together we caught some fish and some small crabs and ate them. Raw. As I think back, that sounds disgusting, but in my dream I remember thinking the fish in particular was quite good. After eating some of the crab, I heard the narrator say that I would eat up to seven times my weight in crab in a week. I thought "Man, I better pick up the pace" and "I'm not sure I like crab that much." Later in the dream I was a person again. I don't normally remember my dreams, but this one was awesome. A cartoon penguin! My subconscious mind is a strange place, I tell you what.

As far as interpretation goes, I have no idea, I leave that one up to you.

Later this week I'll tell you about the time I swam in the ocean with Jesus, and about the time my wife got to do something really cool.

P.S. I did a little "research" on dream interpretation (I typed "dream interpretation" into Google and read the first link that didn't also advertise serenity crystals). I found a site with a list of stuff people have dreamed about and a short description of what it may mean. Here are some relevant to the post above.

Penguin - "To see a penguin in your dream, signifies that your problems are not as serious as you may think. It serves as a reminder for you to keep your cool and remain level-headed. Alternatively, a penguin seen in your dream suggests that you are being weighed down by your emotions or by a negative situation. You need to find some balance and inner harmony."

I was pleasantly surprised to find "penguin" in the list, by the way.

Cartoon - "To dream that your real life is depicted in a cartoon world, signifies that you are perceiving the world in a comical and unserious manner. This dream may also serve as an escape from the stressful realities of your life. It is your way of obtaining moments of lightheartedness and fun. Additionally, you may need to learn to laugh at yourself and at your mistakes."

Crab - "To see a crab in your dream, signifies your perseverance and tenacity. On an extreme note, you maybe be too clingy and dependent and hanging on to a hopeless endeavor."

Swimming - "To dream that you are swimming, suggests that you are exploring aspects of your unconscious mind and emotions. The dream may be a sign that you are seeking some sort of emotional support. It is a common dream image for people going through therapy. To dream that you are swimming underwater, suggests that you are completely submerged in your own feelings. You are forcing yourself to deal with your emotional difficulties."

I was disappointed that there weren't any entries for "raw fish," or "nature show narrator." But, after reading the above, and deciding that they were written by the same qualified people who write the notes on the inside of fortune cookies, I decided to try my hand at it.

Raw Fish - "To dream that you are eating raw fish signifies your willingness to confront uncomfortable circumstances in your life. By ingesting an aquatic animal, you hope to gain its power to move fluidly through chaotic situations. Alternatively, this may signify that you live in Japan or California."

Nature Show Narrator - "To dream that your actions are being narrated by another suggests that you feel your life's course is determined by forces beyond your control. If the narrator is Morgan Freeman, David Attenborough, or Peter Coyote, this signifies that you watch too much National Geographic channel."