For as long as I can remember I have had very vivid dreams. Sometimes disturbing nightmares that wake me in the middle of night, some blissful images of intense happiness and some just random scenes that don’t seem to make sense. Even though they can vary greatly I have always felt blessed that I can dream so intensely.

When I first started surfing I had the typical wave dreams. When I would close my eyes I would see waves rolling in my mind. When I would sleep I would see those waves again in my dreams. I looked up the meaning of seeing waves and found the following meanings:

• To see clear, calm  waves in your dream, signify renewal, a calm state of mind and tranquil emotions. It may also signal an important decision to be made.
• To hear waves crashing in your dream, indicates tenderness and relaxation. It also brings about feelings of sensuality and sexuality.
• To dream that you are caught in a tidal wave, signifies the strength of your emotions, perhaps accompanied by tears that you are holding back in your waking life.
• To see muddy, violent  waves in your dream, signifies that a fatal error was made in an important decision.

The other night I had a dream I had not had before. In my dreaming I was surfing. It was very vivid. I paddled for a wave, bigger than what I normally would paddle for in my waking life. I stood up and stayed low holding onto the rail a little longer to make sure I made the drop. As I dropped I looked forward and saw part of the wave in front of me crashing over my head. I sped up to get in front in front of the breaking water and rode the wave. After I popped up and took the drop I saw one of my friends to the left and another in front of me. As I sped past them, I felt so confident, so free, so happy and so alive.

Waking up and feeling more energized and excited to surf I decided to look up what this meant, if anything other than my desire to surf again.

To dream you are surfing could mean any of the following:

• A desire to partake in surfing
• The way you’re “navigating the waves in your life” : who’s in charge—you or the waves (emotions)?
• It may also indicate that you are going with the flow

To dream you are riding a surfboard could mean:

• you are going with the flow of things. You have been giving in to the existing rhythm and are just there for the ride. This dream may be trying to tell you that you need to take more initiative in where you want to go and what you want to do.

During a recent surf session with good friends, they told me they thought I needed to take more initiative in my life and make a spreadsheet of my goals and dreams.

I guess if you don’t listen in real life to what you need to hear, it comes up in your dreams….