I awoke from a dream in which I was "back in" the Army. These sorts of dreams are not that uncommon, really, for me – my own rather impactful military experience, combined with media images of military life (because of Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.), and combined with the fact that I live in the neighborhood where I was in active service (Northwest Gyeonggi), means these memories pop up pretty easily and frequently.
The dream was strange in that genre, however, because it was a dream in which I was "happily" in the Army – this is not common at all. I was some kind of officer, it seemed. And the soldiers under me were my middle school students. This makes sense. But this wasn't goofing around – this was serious Army stuff. We had to establish a camp amid bitter cold winter weather. But it was going well – unloading trucks, setting up these large tents, establishing a secure perimeter with guards.
There wasn't a lot of "plot" to the dream – it was mostly atmospherics. Dreams are sometimes like that. The feel of the "Team Spirit" joint US Army / ROK Army exercises that I remember from 1991, but populated with people from my current life.
Then my father showed up. He wasn't helpful. He got in the way, and he needed help. This is psychologically transparent – viz. Dream Interpretation 101. But I haven't had much interaction with my dad lately, so it's interesting that it dredged up from my subconscious just now. Is it the change in weather?
I awoke to an almost chilly fall rain, plonking outside my open window; rice and coffee for breakfast.