Sleep and Dream

Around 2AM, Sammy woke up crying last night: “I have to go to the potty!” AC managed to get her there in time, and she was cheerful and chatty, reminding us that she gets a “big sticker” for her toilet learning chart. Minutes later, she was back in her crib, sound asleep. I wish I could say the same for me and AC. While I am thrilled that Sam is making potty progress, I hope that last night’s interruption is not going to become the norm for a while. She still needs substantial help getting her clothes off, etc. I am loathe to return to the fragmented nights of her first year of life. But still, go Sam!

At some point in the wee hours of the morning I had a dream about Camus. He had returned to us. It turned out that he didn’t die at the Vet’s, but had somehow escaped. He came back healthy, gorgeous, and happy. Purring and affectionate. We were living in a different house and I was astounded that he found us. But I realized that the yard of our new house was not enclosed (the way our current yard is). I had to make a decision about whether to allow him to be an indoor/outdoor cat again. I was nervous that he might go outside and away again, but I knew that I couldn’t keep him imprisoned indoors again. I decided to let him go, and figured that if he came all this way to find us in a new house, he would return again.

This morning I said to AC, “I had a really bittersweet dream about Camus last night.” He looked at me and said, “So did I.”

In AC’s dream, Camus had returned, but it was only for a short while. Somehow AC knew that our kitty would have to go back to being dead after his brief visit.

This afternoon, the Vet called and informed me that Camus’s remains are available for us to retrieve. The tech who called even pronounced his name correctly.

I’ve spent the better part of my professional life focused on sleep and dream. Last night’s events reminded me of why that is so.