So, anyway, for years--late 1980's or early 1990's to around 2008 or so--I would periodically have a dream that I was crossing the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, coming from Newburgh, on the western shore of the Hudson, towards Beacon (and my home town of Cold Spring) on the eastern side. I went to school from fourth grade to ninth grade in Newburgh, and crossed that bridge to and from every school day for five years, so the trek is engraved in my childhood psyche. In my dream, I would always be leaving Newburgh, and coming to the "home" side. Never the other way. I would usually start out driving, and somewhere along the way over the bridge, I'd find myself walking across the bridge. I don't know what became of the car. it would just kinda vanish, and I'd continue on foot. The further across the river I got, the more precarious the walk became. The bridge would somehow transform from the sturdy, massive bridge I knew, to a rickety, partially-constructed jumble of girders and trusses. Soon, I'd be walking--with no handrail of any kind--along an I-beam or a wood plank. I'd have a sensation of being scared to fall, and I could clearly see the river beneath me. Usually about this time, I'd wake up. I don't think I ever made it to the safety of the eastern bank in all the times I had this dream.
I might have to bust out a dream interpretation book. There are a lot of elements in here. Bridges usually symbolize change or transformation. Is my transformation incomplete? Am I not to make it "home"? I'll dig a little deeper to see what the imagery might suggest. do any of you, my awesome readers, have any insights? Let me know...
