the reason we sometimes think dreams are trying to tell us something is because the symbols our unconscious minds select to construct them are necessarily chosen from our own experiences, memories and perhaps submerged feelings, and therefore they appear meaningful to us, although they are associated and construed in surprising, perhaps even startling ways.
dreams are like the fantastic and varied creatures we might imagine beneath the still water surface of our minds at rest.
these thoughts come to mind because i have recently experienced some strange dreams that cause me to ponder.
for example, i recently ran a relatively long race for which i was not well prepared. the night before, i went to bed early, but with some anxiety. i slept deeply. i remember waking early in the still darkness, well rested even though the latter part of my rest had been fitful. i imagined i had been chasing some bad guys through an industrial area that seemed to me similar to a refinery or chemical plant. the chase went on for what seemed like a long time. i eventually caught one of the evildoers and proceeded to beat him mercilessly — to near death. i woke in a sweat with the adrenaline of combat still pumping my heart.