Friday, September 17, 2021

My First Trip

                          


When I was five or six, I had my tonsils out--a routine procedure in those days for kids who got a lot of sore throats aka tonsillitis. I remember the liquid jello I was given to drink after the procedure and the nifty bendy straw. But mainly I remember the 'dream' I had while under ether.

I was one of a number of clowns, riding crescent moons that dipped and rose through a dark sky. In my mind, there were mud puddles beneath us and each dizzying swoop downward brought me nearer a mud puddle. The moons were yellow and we clowns wore purple outfits with moons and stars on them.

That was over seventy years ago and I still can see it. I tried to paint it but what I ended up with is more like an illustration for a kids' book. My trip was scarier--and the sky was black and absolutely filled with dipping moons and clowns--like a pod of killer whales. 

Maybe I'll try to do that one later.



5 comments:

Marcia said...

It is funny how dreams become such memories. I remember dreaming about a house with lots of floors and rooms. It was a dream I think I had many times because when I would have it there was the memory of being there before. Now I dream a lot and most of them I have only a fleeting sense of - sometimes happy but mostly disturbing and tiring. I'd like to sleep and not dream so that I'd feel totally rested.

Barbara Rogers said...

What an interesting memory, of your first "trip." Glad you attempted to paint it...and the painting is actually quite cheerful!

Anonymous said...

My tonsil surgery ether dream was both beautiful and terrifying. Sunshine with gorgeous brightly colored flowers - but I was being chased down wire enclosed railroad tracks, so I couldn't get out, by Reddy Kilowatt (remember him?), who was riding a unicycle and making a loud buzzing noise. I was 8 - it's still a vivid memory...

Vicki Lane said...

Oh, I do remember Reddy Kilowatt. Vivid, indeed!

Anvilcloud said...

I guess those sorts of dreams vanished with the ether. I had my tonsils out as an adult. The only dream was the nightmare of waking up in that pain.