The Race

Dear Peregrin,

I have a friend named Amy whom I've known since kindergarten. I generally think of her as a better person morally than I. Keep in mind she is not athletic. In the dream, I'm watching a race being run. Amy is participating. It looks to me like it's going to be a really long race. The gun goes off. The runners start. In a short time Amy pulls into second position; which is good, because the race is over almost as soon as it began. A coach begins giving Amy advice, obviously favoring her over his other runners. The race is about to begin again. Only this time, I'm in it, too. Once again I feel it's going to be a long race. The gun goes off. Amy begins weaving through the other runners. I follow in the path she's creating. I'm not trying my hardest because I think it's a long distance race. Amy takes first place. I don't know what place I came in; it wasn't relevant. The cones are cleared off the road while Amy is again being instructed by the coach. I'm watching from a distance. I hear a car on the road behind me and turn to see it. When I turn back around, everyone's gone. I'm sad for a minute, then begin walking home. Does this mean I feel I should follow Amy's example in life even though it never appealed, or even occurred to me before?

Gnitca

Good morning, Gnitca.

Actually, I think the dream is saying that if you always try to follow in Amy's footsteps, you will never come in "first." Measuring yourself against others is often a mistake, yet you consider Amy a "better person" than you are. It's okay to admire others, but you shouldn't feel as if you have to walk the same path, or run the same race, to feel good about yourself.

Pleasant dreams,

Peregrin