I woke up this morning from a strange dream. The earliest fragments of the dream were that I was working at some sort of financial company. The building had the feel of a cross between a large bond trading operation and library stacks. In the dream, the stock market crashed. Stocks dropped to about a third of their value, and traders mostly just sat by, stunned, and afraid to step into the market and buy anything. There was a feeling of complete financial collapse, yet it was unclear what had brought about the collapse. I spent time trying to reassure people.

Initially, I tried to reassure people who worked within the trading operation. The discussions there were mostly about how if we stick together and take care of one another, we would make it through fine. Later, I found myself speaking to elderly people, I suspect mostly clients of the trading firm. Most of them relied on the income from their retirement accounts. When I spoke with them, we found that they had moved most of their assets into government bonds which would continue to pay interest for another thirty years and they had little to worry about. Some had moved some of their assets to commodities like gold which had done very well.

Finally, I ended up at one of Fiona’s softball games. At the end of the game, the kids from both sides shook each other’s hands, the way good sportsmen typically do at their age. I commented to others about how this reflected what really mattered, the ability to work together, have fun, and enjoy life, no matter who wins or loses.

As I emerged from the dream, I noticed I had overslept and it is time for me to get ready for a weekend camping trip and a party at a friend’s house. I will leave the interpretations and associations for another time and for others to share.