<p>Does anyone know a way to stop having reoccurring dreams? I keep waking up at night worrying about my late grandmother’s old car, circa 1938, that is in my care. Even if the radiator is cracked or broken in two (the nightmare - I know I have a pretty good life), there is nothing I could do about it. It is stored in a barn and I probably can’t even get at it until spring.</p>
<p>I wonder if it is some kind of displaced worry about my other grandmother becoming more fragile. Worry about caretaking of a highly coveted family heirloom -I am not worthy type of crisis? My husband doesn’t believe a dream can be symbolic. Is the dream just about the car?</p>
<p>My spring and summer reoccurring nightmares about tornados are more easily understood. We had a tornado in my neighborhood when I was a 2 year old in Florida.</p>
<p>Study up on the car. Find sources of parts on the web. Any mechanical issue is easy the part of enjoying an old car. Bodywork and painting can cause a lack of sleep. Any chance is it an American Bantam? The car made famous by Donald Duck.</p>
<p>I wonder if, putting on my amateur psychologist’s hat, there isn’t something else ‘driving’ this…sorry. Ask yourself what would happen if you didn’t take care of the car, if you sold it, gave it away, or whatever. Are you concerned that you are betraying something or someone? You say that you are concerned about your other grandmother. Would visiting her or making sure she is okay in some other way answer your worries? </p>
<p>Novelisto - you may have a point. My uncle had the car until a few years ago. It was the car he and my other uncle drove to high school. He always asks very pointed questions concerning the car. But, he was going to sell it to the first person who gave him the cash for it. I wrote him a check on the spot.</p>
<p>Parentofbear: Parts are a real pain to find for it. Only 700 or so cars of this model were built. I have only 1 windshield wiper transmission because I can’t find another for love or money.</p>
<p>It’s a seven passenger 38 Buick 90L. A limo that my grandmother drove as a minivan of the time. In the era of no seatbelts, you could pack lots of kids and dogs in it. </p>
<p>I used to take my grandmother out for a spin in it when she was in assisted living. I don’t know how she drove that thing - no power brakes or steering and so hard to park.</p>
<p>Oh, my sister just visited our other grandmother. Her mind is great, reads constantly, but is starting to become a little wobbly. I send her as many large print books as I can find.</p>
<p>I think this has more to do with your relationship with your uncle than with your grandmother. Has he reentered your life recently? Have you been contacted by him about anything? It seems like you are insecure about being able to satisfy him, possibly not even related to the car in real life…</p>
<p>No, haven’t spoken to him in a few months. He is the most laid back hippy type.</p>
<p>Maybe I don’t want to be the one who wrecks it.( Ah ha. Youngest child insecurity) Beating my head against the wall - Why did I bring it to Minnesota?! Perhaps this very cold weather we are having has prompted the worry about the car.</p>
<p>This is all helpful. Maybe I won’t wake up tonight convinced the engine is falling apart.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to make light of your problem, I had some very nasty nightmares after taking Melatonin following insomnia that hit after surgery. And I do believe dreams have symbolic meaning. But I have to tell you, DH is a classic car collector and his biggest nightmare right now is the plunging values of classic cars. Could this be a concern for you?</p>
<p>When you wake from one of these dreams, put yourself half-way back to sleep and finish the dream the way you want to-so that all ends the way you want it to. That might help.</p>
<p>Directed Dreaming…good suggestion, b’smom. It takes practice, though. </p>
<p>How 'bout, twomules, you take a few minutes before bed to write down all your worries (about the car or whatever), telling yourself that you’ll look at it only in the morning. Putting things down on paper gets them out of your head. When you start to obsess about the car in the night, you can tell yourself ‘I already wrote that down so I don’t have to worry about it now.’ This works no matter what you may be worried about. If you come up with a new worry (I’m good at this part!) tell yourself that you will add it to the list in the morning. This gives you an action to take which will often ‘shut up’ the brain.</p>
<p>Sadly, I’ve never had any luck trying to “get a good dream back,” though have tried.<br>
I agree that twomules dream is probably more about the people than the car.</p>
<p>A bit off the OT, but I have several dreams that have recurred quite a few times over the years – none car-related!
I wiggle a loose tooth, then all my teeth start falling out of my head
I fail math and can’t graduate
I find us living back in our first house, and try to be happy about it, but miss our current house (where we’ve lived the past 17 years), and want to go back
-most disturbing one. I’m away, and need to get home to my children, but one thing after another keeps preventing me from reaching them. Am always relieved to wake up from that one.</p>
<p>I was all set to try b’mom’s advice last night but I didn’t wake up. Perhaps this online therapy is working!</p>
<p>Hmom, something you said made me think of something. I used to take a migraine preventative medicine at a highish dose. In November I found out that this dosage was making me hungry all the time and as a result I gained weight. But I slept like the dead. Now I am on a lower dose and not sleeping so soundly. An earlier medication I was on gave me bizarre dreams. I am going to look up whether or not this medication can have that side effect.</p>
<p>What type of car does your husband collect? Is it an era or a particular make? My car is hardly pristine so I don’t think it is worth that much except emotionally. I need to pony up some serious money to get that tank painted.</p>
<p>Novelisto - there is not ink enough in this world to write it all down! However I no longer obsess about my husband’s heart now that my sister and I took the CPR/defrib class. I like to take concrete steps so that I can move on to newer and better worries.</p>
<p>Lspf72 - I love the loose tooth nightmare! Did that dream start when you were little and worried about your baby teeth falling out?</p>
<p>uscd dad: Don’t talk to me about warm in San Diego. At 8am it was -24 outside with the windchill at -42. Most school districts are shut because they don’t want kids waiting at the bus stops. (Since I have your attention: In a few weeks we are going to drive from Claremont to SDiego on a Saturday to watch our daughter play in a tournament. Should take about 2 hours?)</p>
<p>Do you collect cars?</p>
<p>Everyone - Thanks for all the good ideas. I have thought about them all.</p>
<p>lspf72 – Classic anxiety dreams. Do you have a lot of stress in your life? Feel at the mercy of events or people in authority over you? </p>
<p>My recurring dream…which I haven’t had for a while…is of being on an elevator. Other people get on and off but I just keep riding that dang elevator.</p>
The drive s/b about 2 hours or maybe a bit longer depending on where you go in the San Diego area. I hope we have decent weather when you’re here but I can guarantee it’ll be a bit warmer than what you have right now. These last couple of weeks have been like summer - unusually warm even for here.</p>
<p>I’d like to collect cars but I’ve prioritized college costs as have a lot of people. I do however, drive a classic 1966 Mustang convertible as my daily driver and have been driving that car daily for over 25 years (it was old when I bought it). I also own a 1969 Mustang Mach I that I’ve owned since almost new. These cars just keep increasing in value and they’re fun to own. I could also use an old Corvette, Camaro, Challenger/Barracuda, etc. but I also appreciate any old classic type of car.</p>
<p>Thanks for the driving info. I don’t know exactly where in San Diego the tournament is except that it will be at one of the universities.</p>
<p>Parentofbear: I’m trying to remember all the ins and outs of this. 1937 and 1938 for Buick had particular design issues. I can use parts from a 1937 but not from other years. I used to belong to a 1937-1938 Buick car organization but I was looking for it today on the internet and it has either dissolved or changed names. They used to put out a terrific magazine called The Torque Tube.</p>
<p>I did find a site on the internet that might be able to help me with my windshield wiper problem: Wiperman. I will get in touch to see if they can fix it.</p>
<p>ucsd - My brother in law and his son have been working on a Mustang for probably 15 years now, as money permits. It has been a super bonding thing. Our nephew had his senior photos taken with the car.</p>
<p>I’ve told my husband to never let me buy acreage in the country. I’d end up with the mules, 10 dogs, and a pole barn full of old cars. I am irresistibly drawn to cars with big fins and old pickup trucks. My uncle is still driving my grandmother’s OLD cadillac.</p>