I’m 18 years old, single. I am in a classroom of some sort. I believe it is a college classroom, but it is being taught by my junior year high school teacher. She was probably the best teacher I ever had, but I never really liked her.

We are doing some kind of classwork. I never actually do the work or know what it is about, but I do remember having the option to do the work by hand or to use some kind of memory chip on my mind, like something talked about when products of the future are discussed.

I spend my time watching people leave class in groups to have some kind of blood test. Eventually, it is my turn to go to the blood test. I leave and I am joined by a blonde-haired girl that is my age. Her blonde hair was styled in a sort of circle around her face, I guess. It is a style I have never seen to my knowledge. This seems to be a focus of mine; I remember it more than any other part of the dream. She is slightly taller than I am. I want to equate her to a girl I knew back in high school, but have not seen since my junior year. I worked with her, never dated her, but to this day, about 2 years later, I still think about her everyday. She has basically the same characteristics in size and shape, but not in looks.

Well, this girl is forward, she takes my arm and we are walking so that our arms are locked together. My right hand is on my hip and her arm is circled around it - like you might see when someone is being escorted at a ball or something.

We are walking down a hallway like this and she is talking. She offers me a cigarette, but I say that I don’t smoke. She seems glad, says something to the effect of, she wouldn’t, but she’s addicted - though that doesn’t seem to bother her. She’s talking, I don’t know about what, but I eventually get in a word. I ask her what her name is. She say “Don” which I assume is short for Donna.

We are apparently supposed to go up an escalater, but she just leaves and says good-bye and goes down an aisle that has metal cases on both sides - like the ones that you see in a jewelry shop or perfume section of department stores. Sitting on one of the cases is a dress that captures my attention. It is like a wedding dress, but not a “traditional” one, I guess. It is white and glimmering with either diamonds or whatever makes dresses shimmer in the light. I don’t really know much about dresses.

My alarm clock goes off and I wake up. I guess I hope this dream tells me to find this girl that I’ve been infatuated with for a couple years, but the more I think about it, I don’t think that is it. I don’t know why, it is just a feeling I have.

I feel I need to have this interpreted because I rarely remember dreaming at all, in fact, I can only remember one other dream, and vaguely at that. Yet, I remember this dream’s details very vividly. I feel it is important in some way.

- Ryan, Age 18, Toledo, OH, USA

Hi Ryan -

I think you are right that this dream concerns your old classmate and co-worker - who you write you have been infatuated with for a couple of years. I think the dream reflects both your desires to be with this woman - and some of the barriers between you both.

The dream clues you in to the identity of this woman by setting the dream back in time with a specific date. The class you attend is being taught by a teacher you had your junior year in high school - which is also the last year you saw the girl you still are infatuated with. Although the dream is set back in time, the future is alluded to. You can do the classwork by hand or by using a “memory chip on my mind, like something talked about when products of the future are discussed.” Take a second look at this sentence. Who is the “memory chip” on your mind? Is it your memory of this girl? What “product of the future” are you alluding to? Is it your future with this girl? Will you two be together?

The next part of the dream appears to reflect a fantasy you have of marrying this girl. You are paired up with this woman to perform a blood test - which also is required in real life prior to a wedding ceremony. As you walk you are focused on this girl’s hair - which is curled in a circle around her face. What else can you think of that is gold and circular? A wedding ring, perhaps?

Next you are escorting her formally, as if you are at a ball or something. Can you think of another situation where a woman is escorted by a man? Also at a wedding. And she is smoking and talking - the environment appears to be social.

But alas, you come to an escalator, and your dream girl abruptly departs! Believe it or not, escalators in dreams - like climbing stairs - are common metaphors for sex. For some reason the activity of climbing the stairs, and the angle of the stairways - reminds us of sex. You haven’t had sex with this woman yet - though I’m sure - naturally - you’ve thought about it. But the dream shows that this is not a part of your relationship.

At this point your dream girl leaves and “goes down an aisle” (wedding aisle?) that has metal cases “like you see in jewelery shops and perfume stores.” I suggest to you that jewelery and perfume both are symbols which represent feminine “secrets” that currently are locked away from you. Then, of course, the big clue arrives. Lying on top of one of the jewelery cases you find a wedding dress - not traditional - but you still recognize it as a wedding dress. And then you wake up.

You have already told us that you think a lot about this girl - (“I still think about her everyday”). Your dream shows that you also think a lot of her - enough, for example, to think of marrying her. She obviously impressed you very much. But what impresses me about your relationship with this woman is that - in reality - you actually don’t know her very well. You two know each other somewhat, but you never dated, much less got close enough to reasonably consider marriage. What’s more - two years have passed since you last saw each other - I presume without contact.

The danger we all face with allowing fantasy into our lives is that it can begin to substitute for real life in the real world. In fact, one reason why this woman actually is an ideal target for fantasy (for you) is because you don’t know her very well. You don’t have a lot of real life experience with her to contradict your imaginations. It is natural and healthy to be able to look forward and imagine a relationship with another person. It is wise, however, to keep one’s enthusiasm (and fantasies) in check - because the truth is - as we learn in our relationships with men and women alike - it really takes a long time to get to know someone - even when you are actively dating them.

You write that one part of you hopes this dream is a message to go find her - while another part is skeptical. It’s normal for us to hold certain people who made a strong impression on us in an idealized light. Your gut instinct, on the other hand, appears to be encouraging you to move past this “dream girl.” I agree with your gut. Why settle for fantasy when you can have the real thing in the real world? She’s out there. Look for her in your future. She’ll be a lucky girl when you find her, and you’ll be a lucky guy when she finds you.