A Dream

I dreamed about my dad last night. I was on a trip, a long one, trying to get home from I don't know where. The road I was driving was straight, flat, and bordered with animals of all sorts. I saw deer, pigs, dogs, raccoons, cats, and others. I kept slowing so as not to harm anything. Then I stopped and drank a pop at some place I was sure I had been before. 

When I left, the dream shifted. Dad was there and when Dad was alive, he was always in charge. Same in the dream. We stopped again very soon at a church, and he got out and sat on a bench in front of the church which was located on a town square. I was a little confused about our stopping because we were ahead of schedule, and this was going to put us behind.

The town square differed from all the town squares I have ever seen in that the center section was filled not with a courthouse but with buildings, ancient, rotting, downtown buildings. One building was six stories tall and although we were facing it, it had the appearance of us looking at its back. What caught my attention was the fact that there was a gas meter at each level. Six gas meters were in a straight line up the side of the aged, brick building. I wondered how anyone could possibly ever read the meters.  Besides having no stairs, there was no balcony from which anyone could go from inside to the outside wall. Spider Man is the only one, besides Jesus himself, who could deal with those meters.

So what is this all about? I have no clue. Two things make it stand out in my mind. Dad was there, and he looked just like he always did or how he did before he left us. The second thing is I am sure I have dreamed about that brick wall with the gas meters before. I don't remember the specific dream, but I'm certain I've seen it all my sleep already. Recurring dreams always get my attention. Not that I think they really contain any deep seated significance. But I wonder why, why certain images keep returning. 

For many years I had a repeated dream where I was at church and people were driving up and either I had not studied or my shoes were muddy. I can discern that one: I was consumed, at that time, with preparation for preaching. That obsession reached out and touched me even while I slept. I have also had ongoing dreams about being on the run from the law. I haven't had that one in a while, but it used to be a common one. Now there is this wall, this brick wall with gas meters that no one can get to. Does it mean anything? 

Maybe.

Maybe it's an echo of a fool's errand I have been on for several months. I won't discuss that, but it is a bit of a source of irritation for me. 

Maybe that's it. Maybe.