Odd coincidence or prophetic (if mundane) dream?

This forum isn't exactly one of my usual hangouts, but I had an odd experience recently.

The flu almost got me (I almost never get seriously sick- I sorta feel sluggish and achy for half a day and as soon as I either get some exercise or go to sleep it's over- for whatever reason most of my family is virtually impervious to both illness and pharmaceuticals [sp?]).

So anyway, between scalping the lawn down for re-seeding and kinda-sorta having the flu for about half a day I was going through more kleenex than I really want to admit. So I took a pretty hefty dose of diphenhydromine (on the instructions of a relative with a registered nursing degree- I wouldn't advise taking large doses just to achieve a dreaming effect because at a certain point you do begin to wonder if you'll wake up in the morning- and that unpleasant experience was just on a dose that a nurse assured me would be OK).

So I slept like a rock and woke up with clear sinuses, a neck cramp that wouldn't quit, and very vivid recollections of several dreams.

Most of them were nothing particularly mystical- fighting with my brother, being fired from my job, having things stolen from me- just typical bad dreams corresponding to some of the bad things happening in my life. Except for one.

I also dreamed that I had gone out to my truck and found all four tires flat. Over the last few months I haven't had money for tires, and I've already experienced two blowouts on the freeway (both of which ended uneventfully because I live for a good emergency and am probably the first guy in the world that something like that should happen to).

So I thought nothing of that at first and attributed it to the blowouts I'd already had and my general sense that if I don't get more money soon my truck is going to take a dirt nap on me. So I got out of bed, stretched my neck, and headed out to get a coke to wake me up. But when I got to McDonalds and rolled down my window to order, I heard a very distinct clicking in time with the rotation of my tires as I pulled up to the window. I've been down this road before, and usually it takes me a while to figure that one out. As a carpenter I'm no stranger to finding nails and screws etc in my tires, but somehow I never seem to recognize that clicking the first time i hear it. I guess it's because I'm so used to having something wrong with my truck- there's always something. But I was thinking about what that sound could be, and for some reason that dream popped into my head and it just occurred to me, "it's your tires- that dream meant something".

Wouldn't you know it, the two tires that haven't had blowouts yet both had screws in them. Took me about 10 minutes to pull the screws and plug the holes- no biggie- but what a coincidence. In fact just the night before I had been talking with my grandmother about prophetic dreams, in relation to the dream Lincoln had before he was murdered. Then I apparently had one.

I've also noticed in general that although I generally don't remember my dreams, for some reason I do remember them when I've been taking cold medicine (though usually they are mundane and generally negative dreams- which I suppose this one was too, except for the little bit about it almost coming true the next day).

So a few things have been on my mind:
1. I know the screws were there before I went to bed (or strongly suspect so- what are the odds of puncturing both tires in the half mile between my house and McDonalds right after such a dream afterall) so was the dream putting 2 and 2 together from what I had already subconsciously observed, or was it prophetic in the classical sense?

2. If I hadnt taken to cold medicine, would I still have had and recalled the dream? Did I get lucky, or does the brain actually choose which dreams mean something and need to be remembered?

3. Any of you guys got some tires you don't need? (just kidding, I'll be ok).

reply to post by The Vagabond


Good questions, I've often wondered the same things about dreams that "predict" something personal happening. Obviously, this wouldn't apply to those dreams people have that predict something they couldn't have subconsciously picked up on.

Oh, and sorry for your troubles, seems a lot of people are experiencing "not so good" times lately. Better times on the horizon hopefully.

Real life is beginning to take a turn for the better lately, though my dreams are still getting more and more disturbing.

In the real world, more of my family is getting back to work and some pressing concerns are being done away with finally, but when the day is over I continue to get horrifying insights into all of my personal weaknesses and how they could totally destroy me.

I had a couple of real wild ones last night, this time without the cold medicine factor- just me and my twisted psyche having a little face time. I won't even get that far into them as they got pretty personal and made me a bit insecure. Suffice it to say that I almost died a couple of times, then wished I had (in the dreams).

I guess time will tell. Here's to hoping that some of these dreams are lagging indicators reflecting what has happened, rather than leading ones suggesting what will happen.

Funny that in better days I always wished I'd dream more, now sometimes i wish they'd go away. Maybe if these turn out to be strictly reflective I'll have to do something to alter them- or for that matter attempting to alter them may prove to be a good test of whether they are reflective or prospective.
I've been doing a little studying on stress management, relaxation, and meditation, etc from a variety of angles. A neo-pagan associate of mine insists that there's some kind of a purification ritual i need to do before I totally lose it, but I think I need to hold out for something I believe in a bit more firmly, as intriguing as I find some of her beliefs.

I guess I always assume they are reflective first and then prospective but I haven't experienced your dreams obviously. I use this website to help with determining what my dreams might be telling me about me and what I need to be more introspective about. Dream Moods. It's an interesting website if nothing else - makes you think.