Today I had my first lucid dreaming experience.
My roommate's alarm went off. He got up to go to class. I have only one class today -- on account of the holiday -- and it's a couple hours away. I should get up and unpack and go to breakfast.
But I miss my dream. I want it back. I was visiting Ailinh at UCSD and having the time of my life. I only sawr her for some three hours over break. And the class isn't that important. It's a year-long class, so it's not like I'm missing the first day or anything. So I go back to sleep, determined to find out what happens in the rest of that dream.
And there I am, talking to Ailinh. Better than awake. And suddenly it hits me: I am having a dream. (The irony of this hits me just now.) But here's the catch: I don't wake up! I always wake up. It goes something like this:
- Realize something funny is going on.
- Conclude "This is a dream."
- Develop an itch or a sneeze within the next five seconds.
- Wake up.
Ah, but this time was different. I was in control. I started (rather immediately) by kissing her, the way I used to daydream about, so very long ago. When real life
confounds you, dreams are the best alternative. And now I have them at my disposal.
The first thing I learned: There aren't really any physical sensations, so all of that is pretty boring.
Anyway, I woke up to find that I had already slept through my class, so I went back to sleep and was treated to a delightful detective story on and off for the next four hours. I remember walking along a very narrow bridge over a dry valley in front of a large house that I had seen in a video game themed dream some weeks ago. The plot revolved around an important blonde girl. At one point I tried explaining to a few people that it was my dream and I was in control, but I was unable to prove this.
All in all, it was a very pleasant experience which reminded my that I do have some control over my life (even if I can't even figure out what's wrong with my hard drive) and I am not forever doomed to dreams about hotels and puzzles.