Dream State

I was flying. Just like that, no fanfare, no dramatic leap, not even any big surprise that I could do it. One moment my feet were on the ground; the next moment I was flying, an act as natural, at least in my dream, as taking my next breath.

Psychologists say that unaided flight may be among the most common subjects of our dreams, even more than wealth or sex. In one 2014 study published in the American Journal of Psychology, researchers compiled the dream records of 684 sleepers and noted that the most common subject was flying, with fully one-third reporting dreams of flight. Such dreams can symbolize a sense of freedom, breaking perceived barriers, and rising beyond the ordinary. They are often reported to be the most memorable and pleasurable of dreams, leaving the subject exhilarated, euphoric, and with a sense of hope.

Unfortunately, studies also show that the frequency of flying dreams diminishes as subjects get older. Kids often fly in their dreams, adults not so much.

At my age, my dreams are mostly grounded. I haven’t had a good flying dream in years. But as the sun rose this morning turning the silver of the lake into a mirror that seemed more a liquid sky than earthbound water, as the strings of clouds doubled with their reflection like wings, I was right back there, in those childhood dreams - light as morning light, and skimming across the lake/sky as if gravity was something no one had thought of yet.

The world has been particularly heavy as of late — wildfire smoke, politics, war. But for just this one shining moment, all of that was left behind as if in a dream. I was young, untethered, hopeful, with the limits of responsibility not yet visible over the horizon. So, I hit the throttle on the Little Dipper and I flew.

— Jeff Rennicke (all photography by the author unless otherwise noted).

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