A Stuck Car Key: Post #2

This week I’m examining a waking dream about a car key that wouldn’t work. Some of the symbols in this dream—like the vehicle not starting due to a faulty key—are pretty straightforward. Others are less obvious, but vital to a full understanding.

The dreamer’s waking dream

I had a lunch date with a friend of mine, and I got into my car to go to the restaurant. I put my key into the ignition, but the key wouldn’t turn. After several attempts, I asked my husband to try. He examined the key and saw that there was transparent adhesive tape all over the key shaft. I have no idea how it could have gotten there. And since it was transparent, it was really hard to see. My husband finally got it off, but some of the tape must have gotten stuck in the ignition during my earlier efforts, because when he tried to turn the key in the switch, he had a hard time, too. After working the key back and forth several times, he finally got it to turn and the car started. I was late to my lunch date, but so was my friend, so it didn’t matter. The whole time we were together, I was worrying that I might have trouble starting the car when it was time to go home again.

Tell me about it…

This is where we reveal the metaphoric meanings of the symbols:

Tell me about…

*  Lunch date:  A pleasant diversion, something I look forward to.

*  Your friend:  She’s a lighthearted person, fun to be around. We always have a great time together.

*  Car:  It’s what you use to go places; it gets you around.

*  Car key:  It’s how you turn your car on so it will work.

*  Adhesive tape:  It’s sticky and it’s designed to hold things together. This stuff was also practically invisible.

*  Husband:  He’s good with his hands and mechanical things.

*  Being late:  It turned out to be a non-issue because we were both delayed.

*  Worried:  Concerned, with mild fear.

*  Home:  It’s where I live and work.

The dream metaphorically restated

Now let’s retell the dream, replacing the symbols with the dreamer’s descriptions of them.

There’s a part of me that is supposed to have a pleasant diversion—something I look forward to—with a part of myself that is lighthearted and fun to be around. The two of us always have a great time together. I need to use the part of me that gets me around to go places, but I can’t turn it on so that it will work. There’s something invisible that’s sticky and is designed to hold things together that is preventing this. I go to the part of me that is good with its hands and mechanical things. It solves the problem. The delay is a non-issue, but I feel concern and fear that this will prevent me from returning to the place inside myself where I live and work.

Stay tuned!

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