Dream Series: Dream 01 • Flying

Flying • Sacramento, circa 1970

Flying is a common dream among humans. More than a third of the dreaming population reports having had at least one flying dream^†. I recall reading this fact when I was around 10 and deciding to try to fly in a dream. After that, I had at least several flying dreams. In my dreams of flight, I would have to kick my feet like a swimmer and struggled to reach the height of telephone poles and power lines. I don't remember how many of these dreams I had, but I think I more or less intentionally gave them up since kicking my feet to fly was a lot of work and I was never able to freely soar at will.

I have a related memory recall of dreaming of a western meadowlark sitting on a split rail fence in the midst of wide open green fields. I seem to recall that I was standing or walking along a dirt road, maybe a string of power lines running along the roadside, as well. I believe this dream is from the same time period, if not part of a flying dream. This may even be one place where I "flew," kicking my feet to reach the level of just above the power lines. In addition to flying in the vicinity of this rural pastoral scene, I flew around the Sacramento suburbia where I lived.

At the time, we lived near the edge of suburban development and my friend & I would often ride our banana bikes to undeveloped and developing areas nearby. We would explore the open framed, partially constructed homes, jump our bikes over ditches and dirt piles, and requisition wood scraps to build street racers. We'd borrow money to buy wheels and casters from the local hardware store, attaching them to cross-pieces of 2x6 planks at either end of a 2x12. The front plank was attached to the center frame with a bolt. We could steer the rig with a rope tied to eyebolts on each end of the front plank.

One interesting fact about flying dreams to which I relate is that creative people (poets, writers, musicians, painters, graphic designers, etc.) and people who do public speaking are more likely to have flying dreams than the average population.^†.
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Coming up next in the Dream Series: Dream 02: Pursuit and dim lights, Dream 03: Repeat Dreams - Exploring a large building, its attics, stairs, and basements
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^† Flying Dream FAQ by Linda Lane Magallón
Image: "The Flying Dream" by Jarrod Russell, MorgueMart
Click on the bird picture to hear the song of the Western Meadowlark
Image: House under construction - photo by Dean Terry (web site, flickr source), from the documentary film "Subdivided"