Flying Dreams

Have you ever dreamed of flying?  Not the airplane kind of flying, but the bird kind–where you are actually flying like a bird?  It’s a common dream, especially among men.  Most flying dreams are also what is called a lucid dream–one where the dreamer takes control of part of the dream.  They are an escape from the pressures of the real world and represent freedom and rising above the concerns of the ‘ground.’

Over the weekend Chris and I visited a camp in the Brainerd Lakes area where a young woman friend of ours works for the summer.  The camp was spread out under stately pines and birch trees and bordered a clear, large lake.  Mid-afternoon we boarded the pontoon boat with family, friends and a loaf of bread.  The sky was cloudy, and it was cool enough on the water that wearing a sweatshirt felt good.  We toured around the lake looking at charming cabins, an impressive log mansion, and miles of sandy beaches.  And then we cruised by Bird Island!  Birds meaning seagulls.  Seagulls who knew that certain pontoon boats–usually filled with kids–would throw chunks of bread up in the air for them!  The people in the back of our boat started throwing the bread, and the seagulls gathered behind us like a flowing train as we sped through the water.

The gulls were like flying acrobats–each trying valiantly to get a piece of that yummy bread!  They dipped and dived, swooped and turned, and glided right above our heads.

It was a surreal feeling speeding along the water with this flock of seagulls flying with us overhead!  It was like time sort of stopped–I was so in the moment.  It felt exhilarating and joyful and awesome–in every sense of the word.  There was an interaction with us and them–like a playful game–that left us feeling happy and liberated from worries.  I guess we just found ourselves in a flying dream!