Twins Two Many

13 miles into what was intended to be a 14 mile run, I began to feel an all too familiar gripping sensation on the outside of my right knee. Experience had taught me that pushing through the increasing pain to finish that last mile wasn’t worth the consequence. I compromised, at 13.1 miles, with my own ego by telling myself it was still a new personal distance record and that it also marked the halfway point toward my marathon goal. In cooling down that day, I devised a plan to heal and strengthen my knees in my next lucid dream. 

A few nights later I dream that I am happily lying in the middle of an amiable dog pile comprised of my family on a big L-shaped couch in a rental cottage. Looking to my right I see my dad telling a story at the end of the couch. My suspicions are raised when, looking to the left end of the couch, I also see my dad storytelling. It is a predicament, however, because my dad is, in fact, an identical twin. I double check and find that while Dad on the right is solo, Dad on the left is accompanied by his twin. I press my left index finger through my right palm and I am finally convinced that I’m dreaming!

I remember my dream intention and step into an empty, adjoining room. Sitting bent-kneed on the beige, loop pile carpet I am struck by the intense authenticity of this “rental” and laugh at the irony of its mundaneness. Then I hold my palms an inch from either side of my left knee and invoke healing by saying, “Let’s do Reiki!”

I can feel the pulsing energy flowing between my hands. Wary of closing my eyes, for fear of losing the dream, I look softly on the room. Soon I move on to my right knee because I am also afraid of disrupting the dream by staring for too long. Perhaps influenced by my expectation, the scene soon morphs and takes a new direction.

The following night I once again become lucid, this time rather spontaneously after watching a car sail off a cliff into a sparkling ocean. Five young women swim to safety so gracefully it appears almost choreographed. I sit facing the water and resolve to close my eyes this time. As before I begin with Reiki for my left knee, but around the time I move to my right knee I lose lucidity and the scene. 

In waking life, long run Friday had arrived. I hoped to run at least the 14 miles I hadn’t been able to complete the week prior, if not the full 16 miles indicated on the current week’s calendar. In fact, I ran all 16 miles; no knee pain, not even a twinge.