A Lap Underwater

explora
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Joined: Jun 2 2009
Submitted by explora on Sat, 2010-02-27 09:09
Feb 27 2010
3E

I'm at the pool. Eltham leisure centre to be exact.

I'm up at the deep end. I've decided that I'm going to swim all the way to the other side - underwater. It's quite a test. I do freestyle.

At first I think it's going to be very easy, and it is. I feel a sense of pride about how I'm going, that I'm going to make it to the other side. I wonder if I didn't underestimate - maybe this time, or the next time I could do a lap up, and a lap back.

Yet as I get to about the 80% mark, I can feel my oxygen running low. I'm no longer moving breezily through the water. The lack of oxygen's getting to me, and I get the impression I'm not travelling a straight line any more. I tell myself I can do this though, and am so happy that I actually make it to the other side.

I look back, and am surprised to see myself on the final lane - near the exist stairs. I actually crossed to the other lane in the process. My thoughts were so focused on getting to the end that I didn't realise. I think to myself that I'll have to watch out for that next time I try this.

 

Lightning Dreamwork

Feelings: 
Pretty relaxed.
Reality Check: 
My first association with this dream, is the link between the "laps" and the effort implied. It makes me think of school actually. Usually I'm a casual relief teacher (which means I fill in for teachers when they need to do student testing/professional development). I have been considering the idea of taking up a 6-month contract come July. A 6-month contract is the equivalent of "half" a year of work - something I associate with the single lap, because I usually swim laps in sets of two. Therefore, the fact that I ended up making it to the other side seems positive. Who knows? Maybe I'll end up swimming the length of that 6-month contract without "taking a breath". The bit at the end is also interesting, as I'm not sure whether I want to continue teaching next year, or whether I would prefer to spend a year living in South America. It's a big question on my mind. While I can't be sure about any of the actual meanings of the dream, I do feel it reflects my doubts/questions around what kind of life I want to be living in 2011.
Knowing More: 
I want to know anything you might have to add.

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