Summary

Adelia Ritchie shares a series of vivid and surreal dreams that evoke a range of emotions from frustration to triumph, inviting readers to reflect on their own dream experiences and contribute their stories to "The Open Kimono."

Abstract

In a personal and evocative piece titled "In My Dreams," Adelia Ritchie recounts a series of dreams that are both whimsical and harrowing. From flying and crashing planes to getting lost in high school and being taken captive, Ritchie's dreams are a rollercoaster of scenarios where she often plays the role of a hero or problem-solver. Despite the chaotic and sometimes dangerous nature of her dreams, Ritchie always manages to survive and sometimes even save others. The article concludes with a challenge from "The Open Kimono" for readers to share their own dream experiences, whether they are pleasant, romantic, or require quick action and cleverness for survival.

Opinions

The author views dreams as a realm where she experiences a mix of empowerment and frustration, often facing unsolvable problems.
Ritchie contrasts her real-life problem-solving abilities with her perceived ineffectiveness in dreams, where she feels like "a useless idiot."
The article suggests that dreams can be a source of intense emotions, carrying over into the waking world with physical manifestations like muscle tension.
The author expresses a sense of resilience and survival, likening her dream adventures to the serial drama "The Perils of Pauline."
"The Open Kimono" is presented as a platform that values and encourages the sharing of personal dream narratives, fostering a community of storytellers.

DREAM CHALLENGE!

In My Dreams

Not to be confused with wishful thinking

Cat in broken window, Sofia, Bulgaria. Photo by Author

In dreams I can fly but the plane crashes and I save everyone onboard

In dreams I’m in high school but cannot find my locker nor my classroom

In dreams I’m a teacher but cannot find the science building nor the admin building for directions

In dreams I offer to help an accident victim who takes me captive and I cannot escape his booby-trapped house

In dreams I steal a candy but get caught and charged 32¢ yet cannot pay because my money is counterfeit

In dreams I’m a college girl being chased by my horny ping-pong player pal I turn into a sparrow and fly through a chain-link fence

In dreams I search the shopping mall for the boutique I often visited but now it’s a Marriott hotel with endless corridors

In dreams I meet a handsome lawyer who wants to date me but along the way his face changes to Dorian Gray

In dreams I become warrior-woman practicing life skills and emergency response

Life is but a dream to me.

— Adelia Ritchie, April 3, 2022

Author’s note and another challenge from The Open Kimono: I awoke this morning, after a mostly sleepless toss-and-turn night, full of dream memories and intense feelings of frustration at not being able to resolve the numerous problems and difficult or dangerous situations I encountered in my dream world overnight.

In real life I’m a problem-solver. In my dreams, I’m a useless idiot who cannot find her way to her hotel room, getting utterly lost and in a series of random troubles in my futile search.

It has always been this way. Some mornings I wake up so frustrated, with every muscle tensed and nerve snapping, that this happens:

Yes, It’s Possible to Have an Orgasm Without Having Sex

But I don’t recommend this method

adeliaritchie.medium.com

The good news is that I always survive, often saving the lives of others in a similar predicament. It’s as if I’m starring in endless reruns of The Perils of Pauline every night. And fortunately for me, if my dream death or dismemberment seems imminent, I wake up to safety and a pot of hot coffee.

The challenge: At The Open Kimono (TOK), we’d love to know what your dream experiences are like. Warm and fuzzy? Flowers and romance? Hot sex? A walk in the forest? Or situations where quick action, cleverness, and determination are required for survival?

What happens in your dreams? How do you feel when you awaken? Tell your dream story(ies) in prose or poetry and send them to us. Inquiring minds need to know. (To become a TOK writer, email us at [email protected]!)

Adelia Ritchie & Shadowgnosis

Jenine Bsharah Baines, Steve Fendt, Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), Terry Trueman, John Griswold, Aimée Gramblin, America Zed⚡, J.D. Harms, Margie Willis, David Rudder, May Hemm, Michele Thomas, BichoDoMato, Marta Calderon, MScE, Debra Wuts, William J Spirdione, David B. Clear, Dawn Jarvela Henthorn, Island Cow, Floyd Mori, Desiree Driesenaar, John Levin, Will Hull, Thief, Jennifer McDougall, Daniel Williams, Carolyn F. Chryst, Ph.D., Nancy Walker, Lee Ameka, Filiz Özer, Barry Dawson Jr. IV, Joe Luca, Susannah MacKinnie