My entire family was visiting me in Boston, more specifically Cambridge. For some reason I lived there, rather than in Allston, which I could actually afford. But Cambridge wasn't as it actually is. My dream included Harvard, which for the most part looked as it does in reality. But everything else was changed. Areas appeared in circles rather than linear streets, but that wasn't apparent until you got to driving and realized that you couldn't get to where you wanted to go.
My family and I wanted to get to Back Bay, which is usually rather simple from Cambridge, even if it does take a while. It was me, my parents, my siblings, and Nana and Papa. Yes, Papa was there, too. It was him as I remember him when I was a little girl: tall, tan, able to run around, and a little feisty, too. We all piled in the van; I was driving. I told everyone I knew the way and that we would be in Back Bay in 15 minutes. I went the normal route and it took me somewhere unexpected - some kind of dead-end that wasn't necessarily ugly or deserted, just not where that road was supposed to take me.
I asked someone I saw there which way to go, and when their answer sounded strange I decided to just use my GPS. Following its instructions, I ended up driving into an underground street that was actually part of some concert venue. Rock/avant-garde concert, not classical concert. I saw a friend from Boston and he told me that I might as well stay and play, but I told him that I had to get my family to Back Bay.
I turned around and Nina was there, so I asked her for directions. She said it's simple: turn left at the end of the street (going back the way I came) and I'll be on the road that will take me to Back Bay. The only problem with this route was that there was a $345 toll. At first I heard her wrong, "$3.45 is a weird number." But then I learned better.
I thanked her and asked my GPS to take me that way but to try to avoid that toll road. Possible, it said. I would just make a quick right and then square back around, somehow avoiding this toll which had never been there before. Driving down the appropriate street, I kept looking for the road to the right. I saw all of these possibilities between buildings, but when I looked I realized that each was blocked by a brick wall. As I neared the end of the road, where I'd make that rather expensive left turn, I as shocked to see that there was a 'ONE WAY' sign, and it was pointing to the right...I couldn't even turn left on that road.
That's when I realized that Papa wasn't with us and we pulled over to wait. He came running and jumped in the van.
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That's when I woke up.
I feel that the symbolism in this dream is more straight-forward than others I've had. A sense of being lost probably comes from feeling a bit uprooted, considering the move and the search for a new job and direction.
I wonder if all of the unexpected turns and diverges have to do with this path to my true success not being what I expected, not being what others have done in the past, hence their directions never ringing true.
In my dream I thought I knew how to get to where I was going, but I gave up after one try. Otherwise I folloed the advice of others, or of our technological gadgets that are supposed to help us. Perhaps if I had tried of my own intuition one more time I would have taken the family to where they were needed to go, thereby earning success in their eyes as well as my own.
I do feel like they're watching me try to figure out how to get to my true success. In particular, I know Papa is aware of all of these things.
I hope I get there one day, to the symbolic "Back Bay" of this dream; perhaps what I'm supposed to see is that only I know the way, but that doesn't mean I'll get to it on the first try.
