The Nightmare Before Christmas. And Every Holiday Actually.

DISCLAIMER: I'm aware that this post has some of the same content as one of my previous posts: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). That being said, it's only because I found more meaning on the topic, and it should be discussed again. If you're THAT nit-picky about my blog, and the way I choose to run this page, you probably shouldn't be reading this anyway. SO ENJOY :)

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We came up with VR in order to enter a different world whenever we want. A different setting. One where you're whoever you want to be. One where you don't have to worry about the scores on the exams you just took. One where your girlfriend didn't break your heart. One where Ariana Grande makes music for more than Caucasian college girls. You name it.

(Side-note: I was thinking about the way FRIENDS named their episodes almost the entire time I was writing that out)

Even without an Oculus Rift, you can do that same thing every night. And that, my friends (mostly) is where our post begins...

Dreams. Nightmares. They're not entirely separate. The only real difference is this: Dreams are what we want to see happen. Nightmares are what you don't want to see happen.

I've had both, of course, and there's quite a range in content. For examples sake, I'm going to jot one of each of mine down, and we'll see where it takes us after the fact.

This dream was featured on a previous post, so if you're really that sick of it, skip ahead two paragraphs to the nightmare part and I won't even care. This time. -.-

A recurring dream I've had is of a labyrinth that I'm stuck in. I start in the same place each time, but the journey thereafter varies consistently. It's always a huge building, but I'll turn left down a hallway instead of going right and down the stairs. I'll keep going straight instead of climbing down the ladder beneath the trapdoor. Always different. Endless possibilities. It always ends at the same point though. It always end right in front of these big double doors, painted white, with signs of wear from over the years.

What lays beyond the doors is one of a couple different options. One is lavishly decorated, no expense spared in the production. Chandeliers, gold candlesticks, porcelain things, those beds that rich people only ever seem to have, with the little see-through curtains that hang down around the whole thing. One is quite the opposite. The room is beaten and poorly lit, with a few key items destroyed. It's dusty, and cobwebs hang in the corners. And then the only other option is that I just don't see the room at all. The doors go to open, and a bright light is shining through the cracks and the opening doors, and then I wake up.

As far as a nightmare goes, the most recent one I can remember was my family driving away from the store I was standing outside of. It was nighttime, and it was raining, and I was crying, as were they. Somehow I knew they weren't coming back. Ever. Another weird thing was that this nightmare had a soundtrack, and it was Follow That Road by Anne Hills. It was depressing. The entire nightmare was just like a movie, with alternating shots of the people in the car, and me outside the store in the rain, looking defeated.

Then there's Sleep Terrors. We won't get into those.

So, neither of those ever happened to me. They were just figments of my imagination. One was focused on opportunity, adventure, discovery, riches, etc, while the other was focused entirely on loss, dread, guilt, fear, etc. I could go on with more dreams and nightmares, but we simply don't have the time.

Those were both while I was unconscious. Have you ever had a dream, or nightmare, while you weren't? The events of your life are playing out in such a way that you feel it isn't real.. You wish at any moment to wake up, but you can't, for you are. You have no choice but to let the story-line unfold before your eyes, and hope for the best.

There isn't really a lesson in this, I think. Maybe just realize going forward that there's only so much you can do. You can't determine what happens while you're asleep, nor can you always determine what happens when you're awake. That being said, this too shall pass. Eventually you'll wake up and realize the worst is behind you, and there's nothing to fear anymore. You'll realize that it's smooth sailing from here on out. You'll be safe.

-Dominic Romeo

2:36 PM EST

12/14/2019 AD