| Loss of Control Charlotte, age 44, writer, Amarillo, Texas Fall 1997
I'm traveling down the highway between Canyon and Amarillo, in heavy traffic, when I noticed a highway patrol car approaching in the oncoming lane. I have a moment of anxiety, then realize that it's probably not after me since it's going in the opposite direction. Suddenly, the patrol car swerves across three lanes and comes to a screeching halt in front of my car. I then realize that I'm a passenger rather than the driver. I'm face to face with the patrol car and watch the officer and his partner through the windshield; they are both starched brown uniforms. I'm waiting for their doors to open, but I wake up before they get out of the car.
Charlotte's Interpretation
I think this dream might be the result of my teaching our sixteen-year-old to drive. Since she was born, I have felt in control. Now, she is in the driver's seat, figuratively and literally. In the dream, while I was sitting in the passenger side, I remember feeling a fair amount of anxiety at this new development, but also a measure of relief that she's capable of driving her own car. Maybe the expressway is the path we follow, and it's probably no coincidence that I-287 is the highway that leads to the nearest university.
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