Floating About in a Lucid Dream

     The other night, I had a lucid dream. It began as a typical dreamlike experience, surrendering unwittingly to my surroundings. Rummaging through a spooky walk-in closet at my childhood home, my movements were restricted. Then all at once, I became aware that I could break free if I realized that I was dreaming.
     My body instantly released from the whims of my subconscious. I was exhilarated. Free from the usual confines of both the conventional dream and waking life, I decided to float. And I floated around, abandoning whatever mission my dream had begun with.
     After awhile of floating about (and doing as I pleased), I realized that all the miraculous things I made happen were meaningless because they occurred within a dream.
     It's strange having analytic thoughts while asleep. I recall smirking at the irony; understanding that I was dreaming also meant understanding that all that I experienced had not the lasting value of waking life. And so the value of the dream itself diminished. -J.L.