Relax, Enjoy ‘Final Performance’ Years

Dear Nancy: I’m 50 years old and happily retired. My life is in transition now because my husband of 28 years has just retired. We are traveling, skiing, taking classes and generally having a wonderful time. This dream was so vivid that it has stayed with me, and I’d love your input. - Elizabeth

I’m at a large fancy Las Vegas hotel, doing a critique for the show’s final performance. There are winding banisters from the showroom’s second level. Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe come down singing two numbers in a row, each on their own banister. I tell them to put two or three performances in between the banister numbers for variety. I look at the written program and say, “I can’t believe they printed this program with so many typos and misspelled words!” I’m frustrated and upset.

Dear Elizabeth: Settings in dreams often give us clues as to what issues the dream is addressing. In exploring this one with you on the telephone, I asked what your feelings are about Las Vegas. You replied that you and your husband go there twice a year and that you love to gamble. It brings up positive and happy memories. Could Las Vegas be a symbol of the most playful and fortunate times of your marriage? Since you’re both retired, you are free to create what you want, with as much fun and spontaneity as you like.

For most people, retirement is the reward for a life of work. In your dream you take on the role of the critic. Are your retirement years the final performance that you are critiquing? Are you making a stage production out of your retirement instead of relaxing and enjoying it?

You told me that you are taking a sex and intimacy class. Both Elvis and Marilyn were sex symbols. This dream could illustrate your sexual life with your husband. In your dream, the stars are singing and you are critiquing them. This dream may be a picture of the evaluation you are doing in that class. Do you need to tell your husband that you would like a more varied sexual routine?

I’d recommend you also look at this dream as if it’s all about you. Do you tend to demand perfection in yourself? Are you your own worst critic? Remember, this is your dream. What explanation resonates for you?

Reader’s tip:

What celebrities inhabit your dreams? Dreaming of a star may show a desire to be rich and famous, or it may hint that someone is putting on an act or hamming it up in some way. Most often it’s an indication of the qualities in yourself that you need to acknowledge in order to grow.

Here are some examples: Tough Guy (Al Pacino, Clint Eastwood …): Is there someone in your life who is treating you badly? You may also need to look at how you have been treating others. Or, do you need to call on the strength of these characters?

Comedians (Woody Allen, Steve Martin …): How’s your sense of humor? Do you need to lighten up?

Musicians and Dancers (Fred Astaire, Bette Midler …): Do you long for more music in your life? Such dreams may show that you have talents and abilities you didn’t know you had or that you need to be in harmony with others. Dancing and singing both celebrate self-expression.