Look at that smile. Yup, I miss rock climbing.
By Caterina Erdas
National Geographic published an article about different ways quarantine may be affecting how often we remember dreams and the content of those dreams. It reminded me of a very vivid dream I had a couple days ago. Usually, I remember my nightmares, but I had a wonderful dream I cannot stop thinking about:
UR was launching a rocket with a small research module that would attach to the International Space Center. I came upon the rocket as it was about to launch and, on the fly, just joined the crew going up. I felt like a 50 lb weight was placed on my chest when we flew through the atmosphere, and then the pressure released. The UR module was a long rectangle that had beds on one side and computers/control panels on the other. We positioned ourselves and latched onto the International Space Center.
Before I walked into the ISC, I noticed there was a rock-climbing wall to my left. Naturally, I climbed it. I really miss sport climbing, so it’s not a surprise it appeared in my dream. Space climbing felt amazing. I moved to each small hold effortlessly, my clipping was smooth, and the rope was so easy to control (the fact that I had to clip in was stupid because there isn’t gravity so I couldn’t fall).
I have never had the desire to be an astronaut before, but this dream changed my mind. I want to live in space for a year and write a book or blog (a la slow journalism) about what it’s like to live in the space station and the experiments that are being done in space. My dream has reignited a fire in me to not just put the bare minimum and wait out this quarantine, but to use this time to my advantage. How will I get National Geographic to sponsor my trip to space if I don’t have the credentials to prove myself? Going to space may be an unrealistic dream, but if you aim high, you can fall short and still be content where you end up.