Dream of wearing luxurious coat, job interview and heart-shaped puddle, told online with group of US, Canadian and UK participants, 5th October 2024.

Dream of author and journalist Karen van Kampen
I’m wearing a long, luxurious, camel-coloured winter coat that reminds me of a coat I tried on in waking life but didn’t buy because it was too expensive. Along the bottom inside of the coat is a large pocket or pouch in which I’m hiding someone who I seem to know. So I can keep enjoying my dream, I convince myself that I’ll remember who they are when I wake up. There are people running around me, screaming for the person who is lost, yet I don’t say anything. I tell the person that they’re safe with me and I decide what I’m doing is a good thing. In my dream, I awaken and write down my dream so I can relax and enjoy it instead of thinking about research for my book.
Suddenly I’m in front of a door with a large rectangular opening. Behind the door is a restaurant, and if someone wants to eat or work there, they have to fit through this kind of oversized mail slot. I’m trying to get a job there, but I refuse to try and fit through the slot. I tell the manager that it’s unfair to make people do this. It’s body shaming. He points to a tall, burly man who slides through the slot with ease. I tell him that I don’t want to work there, even though I need the job because my bank account is empty.
I find myself on a barren golf course in Northern Ontario. I’m carrying a large sack, and it’s filled with my dreams. I’m going to carry the dreams with me into the morning to write about them. It’s early spring. The grass is brown, and the trees have no leaves. I find a heart-shaped puddle that reflects the sunshine, making me feel like everything is going to be OK. I remember my daughter pointing out a heart-shaped puddle here on one of our walks during the first COVID lockdown. The bag is so heavy that I stop walking. I open the bag and let a few dreams escape. They are like tiny screens playing videos of my dreams, but I can’t see what’s happening on them. I watch as they float through the air, drifting away. Then I wake up.
 
Karen van Kampen's waking life background at the time of the dream 
I’m writing a book on the science of dreaming, so I’m spending a lot of time recording and reflecting on my dreams. Leading up to this dream, I was also exploring some new work opportunities. Our son is applying to university while our daughter has just started high school. Recently, we drove by the golf course that was in my dream, and it reminded me of one of our long walks during COVID lockdown when our daughter found a puddle in the shape of a heart. At the time of the dream, we were awaiting the results of my husband’s heart scan, a routine follow-up test after his heart surgery a few years ago.