The Tzutujil Maya of Guatemala say that dreaming is one wing of a butterfly and waking is the other.  Each wing tells half the story of life to the other, mirroring each other ceaselessly to keep aloft.  It is at the heart where the two wings meet, that the substance of us is ripened.”
– toko-pa turner, dream expert

What is this dreaming?  We feel tired, we lay down in our beds, or on the couch, or maybe in a sun puddle in the green grass on a warm day,  close our eyes and wake up in some strange, other world, of which we often have no memory at all when we return to this one.

Have you ever had a deja vu’ moment where you felt as if  you’d been in this same situation before and then realized it’s a dream that you’re remembering?  Have you ever been with someone in a dream and, upon awakening, felt as if you’d really been with them?  Have you ever become conscious on this level, while dreaming on that level – as in saying to yourself, in your dream, “I am dreaming.”?   Have you ever dreamed something and then it came true in this world?  I don’t like those dreams much because then they all become suspect.  Will I really fly, fall off a cliff, find myself in church naked, etc.?

I have several times had an experience that I share with my grandfather.  My mother’s father was a lovely man.  He was gentle and kind and very funny and women adored him.  My grandmother’s friends called him Luscious Lloyd.  He had dreams from which he woke up laughing and I do too.  It is hard to explain how deeply healing and restorative these flights of fancy are and I feel so fortunate to have experienced them a few times. The dreams themselves are funny, yes, but not commensurate with the resulting deep, uncontrollable belly laughing. In the last one I had, which was a few months ago, I was standing by a field, watching a small girl stalk a raccoon. The girl had a camera and I understood that she wanted to take a close-up picture of the animal.  She was wearing a dress and a hat and had on round glasses.  I watched her creep slowly closer to the masked bandit, holding her camera at the ready. . . when suddenly, the raccoon stood on its hind legs, spun around holding its own camera and snapped a picture of the girl!  I woke up laughing a deep, satisfying laugh. Unlike waking laughter, this seems to come from somewhere way down deep inside. And it permeates my whole being.  My heart laughs, my spirit laughs, my mind laughs, my whole body laughs. It feels wonderful.  It feels transcendent.  It goes on and on until I drift back to sleep, smiling and chuckling to myself.

Has anyone else experienced this?  I hope so.  I wish it for everyone.  I would love to hear from anybody else who’s ever had a Luscious Lloyd.