Dreaming in the time of COVID

 

I haven't been feeling well for the past few days. 

At first I thought it was the usual fall bug going around, as I was feeling a little out of sorts. But after I suddenly got winded walking to the bathroom and had surprise diarrhea, I decided to see what the symptoms of the latest version of COVID-19 were. I have had, over the course of the past few days, eight of the eleven symptoms.

Now before you start playing armchair doctor, as well-meaning and kind as it may be, I will be fine. The windedness has subsided a bit, as have the chills, and, thankfully, the diarrhea. I'm managing the congestion with Mucinex, and it seems to be easing a bit as well. The coughs are less frequent. And I promise, if things get worse, I will seek medical help.

I was fortunate that not all of the symptoms hit at the same time. One effect of the illness that has been consistent throughout the past few days is one that doesn't appear on the CDC's COVID-19 symptom list. My dreams have been incredibly vivid and weird as heck.

Most recently was one I had today. I had intended to watch the Lions-Vikings game at noon. I had sort of watched the New England-Jacksonville game from London earlier and turned the channel to the Lions-Vikings pregame as soon as NE-JAX concluded. Then I promptly fell asleep in my chair.

The part of the dream I remember was set along the main, long hallway of the Emporia State Memorial Union, a place I have not been in quite some time. As is true with many dreams, the Memorial Union in my dream, while resembling the real building, had a number of enhancements, most notably, a huge cafeteria to the east of the bookstore.

For those not familiar with the real Memorial Union, such a culinary enhancement in that location would have put the east entrance to the real Memorial Union in the parking lot across the street.

In the dream, Mom and I were going to have lunch in the cafeteria. Although neither of us lived in Emporia in the dream, we somehow managed to arrive in separate cars at different times. 

I went in search of Mom and was told that a friend was looking for me on Mom's behalf. (In reality, that friend is one from my days working at the Hays Daily News, not ESU.)

While looking for Mom, I encountered a number of people who, at least in my dream, were people I knew or knew of, though I couldn't remember their names. Whether they all were from ESU remains a mystery.

I approached the cafeteria and discovered that ESU staff members were there having a sit-down strike for better wages and better working conditions. Thinking that may have scared off Mom, I went to another part of the cafeteria (remember: it was huge) and apparently found Mom, though I don't recall ever sitting down with her and having a conversation while eating. During that time, not once did I see her face, yet she was there.

I do remember eating fried chicken. (Probably a KFC original chicken tenders commercial was on my TV during that part of the dream.) Then Mom got up and left, walking down the long hallway toward the west entrance to the Memorial Union, while I scrambled to figure out what to do with our trays while not disturbing the employees' sit-in.

I looked down the hall and could see Mom walking away. She was wearing the polo top that she wore in the photo I used for her obituary, though she had a coat over it. Ironically, in the dream, I said to myself, "Look! She's wearing the same polo shirt she wore in that photo I used for her obituary." Now keep in mind, in the dream Mom was not dead.

Part of me wonders whether it was Mom checking in with me because I was sick. I'd like to think that was the case. 

Nonetheless, that dream was weird as heck.