Dreamwork May Have Shown Meaning

Dear Nancy: Recently my life has completely changed because I quit working to become a full-time mom to my two children. I want to be with them until they are out of school but I am concerned that I will somehow “miss my calling,” even though I don’t know what it is!

Years ago I worked for a television station, and I’m thinking of going back into that field, but the politics and the pressures in that line of work are enormous. I haven’t been able to forget this dream since I had it a week ago.

- Jan

I am riding a bicycle up a hill in the neighborhood where I grew up. I’m struggling because there is slush and snow on the road and it is making my tires slip.

I approach the corner where my best friend lives, and standing in her yard is a very tall wolf dressed in a baseball uniform, leaning on a bat.

I am startled. He smiles slyly at me. I don’t trust him and I veer off this street and ride off in another direction.

Dear Jan: Many people find themselves bicycling in their dreams. This often represents the need for balance and stability in our lives. Perhaps the balance you are trying to find is between a career and being a homemaker. Does this conflict feel like an uphill battle sometimes?

Dreaming of childhood friends and neighborhoods is often an indication of the need to heal events that happened to us then. When we talked about this dream over the telephone, my first question to you was, “Wolves are predators. Was there anyone around the home of your friend who preyed on children, like a wolf?”

Webster’s Dictionary describes “wolf in sheep’s clothing” as, “A person who conceals his or her evil intentions or character beneath an innocent exterior.”

A wolf in a baseball uniform fits this description.

While we explored the image of the wolf, you mentioned that his tail was more like a fox’s and then connected that clue to the fact that you are considering applying for work at FOX Television.

It was at this point that you experienced the “Ah-ha” moment that we all look for in dreamwork and said, “That’s it! This kind of work can be deceiving. It looks good on the outside but it’s much more complicated than that!”

The wolf tries to cover up who he really is by dressing in the “All-American” costume. His sneaky smile is an invitation to, “Come play with me. Let’s have some fun! We can get to first base!”

Is this the temptation of the television career? Is this a career that you recognize would eventually get the best of you and “eat you up”?

Your dream location is a place of innocence, your childhood neighborhood. Recognizing the wolf as something untrustworthy and turning away from him is a sign that you are no longer naive. You have come to recognize deception and pretense for what it is.

It’s easy to project negative traits on someone or something else like another person or even a TV station. This dreamwork does seem to lean in that direction, but dreams often have more than one layer of meaning and it’s a good idea to explore them. You might want to look at the dream as if the wolf is a part of yourself. What does the dream say now?