Two nightmares

I led my first group yoga session this morning. I made up a routine with a little help from YogaJournal—it wasn’t as smooth as I had hoped but I think it was alright. It was my first time, anyway, so I’m willing to cut myself quite a bit of slack. Next week should be a little easier.

I didn’t think I was very nervous about taking on this assignment—it’s just a group of friends—but in the little time I slept last night (Miriam kept waking up to cough and sniffle and cry but she’s doing much better this morning) I had a nightmare about my yoga experience.

First of all, the class was packed, which is highly unlikely since I don’t think we’ve even ever had ten people show up. I started off in simple cross-legged position and was calling the group in to focus on their alignment and breathing. Then I mentioned a few of the benefits of the pose and before I knew it everyone was getting up and walking out the door quite annoyed with me.

One of my friends jumped up, shouting, “We have to do something! Quick get into downward dog!”

But everyone was like, “It’s too late! We’re leaving! This class was awful!”

I looked at the clock and realized that I had left the class sitting cross-legged for over an hour, never moving on to any other pose in my routine.

Don’t worry; even though I woke up in a bit of a nervous sweat, I realized how silly that dream was before I’d even opened my eyes.

That’s not the only nightmare I had this week, though. My other one was far worse.

Miriam, you see, is a very quiet child. I sometimes forget where I leave her because she happily sucks her thumb in any old corner. I have almost left her at my tutoree’s house on more than one occasion—I pack up all the stuff and grab Rachel, the noisier of the two children and head for the door. Then I remember…I have two children.

In my dream I went grocery shopping. We had to walk because we didn’t have a car and we were in Egypt but we went to Macey’s, which is a grocery store in Utah. I finished up shopping and then started walking home laden with groceries and children. All sorts of children. I had Rachel with me, and Abraham and William (my Jenni’s children), and my nieces Olivia and Sabrina, and a few others. I had made it all the way to Northridge Elementary School (also in Utah) when I realized that I didn’t have Miriam with me.

Not only was Miriam not with me, I couldn’t remember where I had left her. Was she at the store? Was she at home? Had she slipped out of my arms while we were walking?

I ran into the school to phone Andrew but I couldn’t remember his phone number (I honestly don’t know his phone number in real life…I don’t know my phone number, either) so I just flipped out.

I woke up, completely panicked, only to find Miriam snuggled up beside me still sound asleep, blissfully unaware that I had just lost her somewhere in a virtual reality between Egypt and Utah.

Sometimes I wonder if I would get a better night’s sleep without dreaming.