Brains Are Fascinating Things

Brains are fascinating but dreams are even more fascinating!  In part, I suppose, because they come from brains, but also because of what they pull from where and why.

For example... a few weeks ago (I'm pretty sure I didn't write about this at the time, but sorry if I did, a blog search didn't show up anything) I had a dream where I was in "town" (you know, not where you live but a distinct place that feels familiar like you're supposed to know you're somewhere) and it was the day the mask mandate was removed (and Covid was over maybe?) and so town was packed and everyone was drinking and celebrating like crazy.  I was still feeling cautious so was wearing my mask and had to go into the book store (for a bookmark?)  When I was in there, someone came up and tapped me on the shoulder (which even in the dream I thought was crazy that she recognized me with my mask on after so long) and it was a friend from high school.

Like, a friend I have not thought of for any particular reason any time particularly recently that I can recall and she totally looked like an older version of her high school self and my dream self said her name out loud like "Roberta Smith!"  I won't type out her name here but it is an unusual name of particular ethnic origin and I am stunned that my brain remembered it, even the full last name, and I am stunned that my brain pulled her and her name out of nowhere!

So in the dream I said her name and then an earthquake hit, so we "ducked and covered" as best we could in the aisle of the book store and when the intense but not damaging shaking stopped I turned to her and said that I really really wanted to catch up but that I also really wanted to go home now and could we plan to meet up soon?

I woke up from the dream pretty stunned and figured I should try to look this old friend up.  Sure enough, I could even remember the spelling of her name and she exists on social media and funnily enough looks just how I'd pictured she would (herself but a little older) and I reached out with the cautious "I hope this isn't too weird but..." and reconnected with this gal!

I dunno, it's pretty neat that my brain did... whatever, and I don't think there's any grand reason that I can see.  She still lives near where we went to school and I don't.  She's vaguely in a related field to spy work.  We caught up on the basics (married/kids/parents/life/work) and said it'd be great to catch up in person some time.  We are now friends on a social media site and every time her name pops up I think about how odd it was my brain pulled her out of the ether.

So here's to brains, and random memories of friends who got their license before you and so drove you to school from time to tome and saved you from the bus or 7 something am drop offs by your Dad!  WOO HOO!