I had a strange dream last night. What it was about isn't of much interest, but it did remind me of a story long before about a road not taken, a place of unpathed waters, undreamt shores.
I've always felt that sleep was required to lay down memories, and a little magical guiding us to this wonderland. When we are then awake, our mind and self hides a smile and take a bow of thankfulness and struggle to replay those sweet sweet memories then oh so fades. Little fairies and little elfs makes a good story, but maybe just maybe that I want to believe, there are actual hidden truths in our subconscious actually led to a direction in which dreams take a lead…..a sort of image compression to take place.
When we sleep, our brain searches long term memory for similarities to what it finds in its "temporary memory". We experience this searching process as dreams. I feel this is why dreams usually have odd but recognizable ties to recent events. If the brain can find an existing long term memory that is a close match to one of the "temporary memories" it must store, it can expend far less energy simply by creating a link to an existing memory without laying down brand new long term storage. Of course, the link doesn't have to be to a complete memory. It could be a link to a feeling, emotion, smell or sound. By itself the link would be meaningless, but when grouped with all the others of the day, the new memory can be recalled as a complete impression.
Memories certainly seem to be tightly linked. Recalling one even inevitably leads to recollection of others with some similarity. Memories are not played back as movies, but more like a collection of impressions, emotions and imagery with various levels of clarity.
This very someone that I dreamt about. The story, the lines, the hopes, my dreams... Was there any truth to it? My mind mills... a winter tale..My hopes and dreams.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
-Robert Frost
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