Roy Orbison, as I picture him in dreams.
“In dreams I walk with you, in dreams I talk to you.”
These lyrics from Roy Orbison’s 1963 hit single “In Dreams” occasionally hit me like a ton of bricks. They remind me of the cold, hard reality that certain loved ones are gone, only to be seen and heard within the soft glow of our dreams.
I have grown increasingly appreciative of these dreams, to the point where I now cherish their random visits. I am well aware that we now have seemingly endless methods of documenting each other’s existence, but nothing moves me like the appearance of a long lost friend or family member in an unexpected dream.
Perhaps it is the way that these dreams affect me that makes me most appreciative of their occurrence. These unexpected (but very welcome) nighttime visits have the ability to shake me to my core, to leave me breathless at the sight of someone who I mistakenly thought I had completely forgotten.
Of course, these evening escapades have a bittersweet side to them. The friends, lovers, and family members we see in our dreams are not there when we awake. Orbison addresses this unpleasant reality near the end of his classic:
“But just before the dawn, I awake and find you gone.”
Despite this truth, I still cherish each and every one of these magical moments of unconscious nostalgia.
The Music Mom: Eileen Carey 