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August, 2019
11 19It is night. Am at a fancy restaurant of the sort my gourmand nephew Jim might appreciate (though his not gourmand Uncle Phil might be looking in vain for the TexMex entrees). The portions are preselected by management and form an upside-down capital U shape (or a semi-circle geometrically describing a large unhappy mouth appearance). The seating is in semi-circles, but (relative to my position) more in a smiley-face orientation. Patrons are put close together, and I am at about 7:00 (using an analogue clock's orientation), with a young woman close by to my left (8:00) and a young man close to my right (6:00). As I begin with a fork to tentatively investigate and nibble from the vast semi-circle of food on my platter, finding it tasty - though a little bland, a kind of healthy vegetable mix that would probably please Mediterranean diet devotees - one of the other patrons, a man directly across from me, asks if I can help him understand texts from my nephew, Jim. This fellow thinks they are on a topic amusing to Jim. Only Jim's side of the exchange is showing. While Jim's messages appear witty and mild, it is apparent from them that their recipient may have a larger ego and less humor. I tell this fellow I'm not the best person to interpret Jim's messages but am sure he, Jim, is not trying to give offense, even if the recipient of them is offended.
[Of Jim, I'd say he is bright, upbeat, and a good teacher. Here he is a shadow character for me, probably showing aspects of my larger self not well acknowledged. Issues salient in the dream include whether to see the glass as at least half-full (smiley face) vs. at least half-empty (downturned mouth look) and of giving or taking offense vs. avoiding barbed responses to others and instead staying witty, positive, or mild, and interpreting others' comments in a friendly, warmhearted way.]
8/19/19 - Title: "Second Retirement"
Scene 1 - I am in the office of my woman supervisor, with whom I have a good rapport, and am telling her I've enjoyed the opportunity to serve again for another several years but am now ready to retire. She seems surprised, yet OK with it. She asks me if there is anything I want, evidently meaning as a special token of my retirement, and I impulsively, for I had not anticipated the question, say that a certificate of appreciation would be nice. She seems surprised again, but just says she'll look into it. I imagine the wheels turning in her head and that she'll consult her own supervisor to see if this can be pulled off and is appropriate, though in her experience with me of just a few years she had thought me not a particularly noteworthy employee, one who is reliable, yes, competent, sure, yet not someone whose departure would warrant a big deal being made.
Scene 2 - I am meeting with Harold Pritcher, my original supervisor and later a director in the state Disability Determination Division, a man whom I had known well for about 19 years. He's trying to recruit me to be a motivational speaker, in which position I'd be working with him as, again, my supervisor, a type of extended career he sees coming soon for himself. I am sincerely appreciative that he'd want to work with me further, even in that for me weird capacity, but honestly tell him I cannot see myself ever doing that. He's gracious about being turned down, and we reminisce a bit about old times. I remember it was he who, as my boss' boss when I had retired the first time, insisted I be given a big, formal retirement party send-off, complete with a certificate of appreciation, even though my then supervisor resented me and had just wanted to quietly give me my walking papers. I told Harold now how much that had meant to me and that I was grateful. I realized I needed nothing more now from my current supervisor, besides her hug or handshake, and decided I would let her know I did not want anything special, like a new certificate of appreciation, after all.