“Dreams are today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions,” said Edgar Cayce, the great psychic and seer. And I’ve had my own psychic dreams on occasion (no winning lotto numbers but no great catastrophes either, thank goodness.) BUT why do I periodically dream I’m back in junior high school? Not high school, not elementary school, never college…only good old junior high.

To my knowledge I have no unfinished business about junior high. In those days we went 7th through 9th grades and it wasn’t the worst of times nor the best of times but pretty much ok. I was never bullied. I wasn’t wildly popular although moving in from out of state in 7th grade had a certain amount of cachet that I didn’t really understand how to use so it drifted away. (Late bloomer here.) I was a homecoming princess, I was on the pep squad (not a cheerleader which even then required a level of physical co-ordination I didn’t have and it does help to know left from right LOL). I did my first dating, which didn’t go too badly although in the 9th grade  my supposed boyfriend broke up with me by informing our entire Alabama History Class he was moving to Florida forever the next week. No, I don’t think his family moved to escape me – they still send cards at the holidays.

We had the future founder of a famous cable TV channel in our class (all the way through high school actually) but at that time we had no idea he was going to be so cool, although he was a big man on campus in football, which was all we cared about. And I wasn’t in his social circle…

In the 8th grade I had no out of state cachet left but I had good friends and I got my American history teacher to second place in the citywide Most Popular Teacher contest run by a radio station, which the school administration wasn’t sure they appreciated because maybe the other teachers felt slighted. My only time in the Principal’s office! In the 9th grade I mostly remember being happy and my volleyball team winning the tournament between the PE classes through some temporary miracle of me being able to hit the ball for about 6 weeks. Never to be repeated and I was NOT on performance enhancing substances LOL.

I never failed a test, never failed to do my homework, was never publicly embarrassed (well except for that one issue with my boyfriend!), had a tight circle of girlfriends (some of whom I still am close to), went to dances, had parties…so WHY do I every so often dream I’m back there? It’s never quite the same dream. For one thing, I’m an adult in the dream usually but not always and there’s never anyone in the dream that I know. The school is usually full of people, sometimes I’m driving through the parking lot and can’t find an empty space. More often I’m in the entrance hall and I’m supposed to be in a certain class or I’m looking for a certain teacher (never by name) and then I wander the halls, which seem familiar but…not…quite…and I NEVER do find the right room. But  I’m not distressed by this in the dream. I just keep wandering. I’m always in the 7th grade halls, by the way, rarely anywhere else.

Once I was out on the PE field, quelle horreur! ( HATED PE in the hot, humid Alabama weather with a wild passion and please remember my lack of co-ordination). But even in that dream I was searching for a certain teacher, not running laps thank goodness.

I met my late husband in high school, not junior high, so if anything you’d think I might dream of searching for him at high school.

But apparently if I was Peggy Sue from the movie “Peggy Sue Got Married” I’d find myself right back there in junior high, trying to solve….something. I wish I knew what my subconscious feels I missed out on, so long ago!

Do you have a recurring dream like mine?

Here’s the trailer to “Peggy Sue” – I would like to point out I did NOT go to junior high in the 1950’s however!