What's Up With the Pink Skunk?

Lately I've been having really vivid dreams, the kind that are so crystal clear when they're playing out that I remember them for days afterward. Last night, I had one such dream. When I woke up from it I was very tempted to get up to research the possible meaning behind it. One look at the clock kept me in bed; it was only 1:46 am. I still had several hours of sleep to enjoy if I pulled the covers up to snuggle under, so I did just that. No way was I going to forget the dream even if I did go back to sleep.

In the dream, I was walking Neurotic, Silly Dog along a rural road. I could see up ahead of us a trio of kids in the road, walking away from us. I was faced with having to decide to continue walking straight or turn left onto another road. Right when I had decided to continue straight, a rather large, very bright pink with white stripe skunk came out of the ditch just in front of us and began to cross the road. While I marveled over its color--bright pink?--at the same time I feared Neurotic, Silly Dog was going to go after it. I pulled the leash tight and began backing away. The skunk looked our way then turned and  headed directly for us. I continued backing up, trying to go faster while pulling at Neurotic, Silly Dog who didn't seem to notice the skunk, but wasn't being cooperative in backing away with me either. The skunk set its sight on us, closed in, and sprayed. I could actually see the scent cloud dispersing through the air, heading straight for us. That's when I woke up.

Relief over the pink skunk being just a dream filled me. I couldn't help but laugh over the absurdity of the whole thing, but at the same time I wondered what it all meant. Having a skunk show up in a dream is one thing. Having a pink skunk show up is a completely different matter.

So far, I've learned this about skunks: they are very respected in the animal kingdom and have no natural predators but one, the Horned Owl who can't smell worth a dang. Skunks are solitary creatures who only use their foul stench-making defensive mechanism as a very last resort. It first hisses, stomps its front feet menacingly, and straightens its tail in warning. If the predator persists, then the skunk will spray. Because it takes up to ten days to fills its glands with another dose of smelly secretions, and because it can only spray 5 or 6 times during its lifetime, the skunk has to be very, very careful about how it uses its means of defense.

As I was reading about the skunk, I became awed. This is one amazing animal. It really is symbolic of live and let live, doing no harm if at all possible. While I've not decided what it all means as far as it applies to my own life, the dawning of understanding is beginning to take shape. I'm glad I dreamed about the pink skunk. There isn't anything to fear, but much to think about and learn by.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Marigolds

Image
The smell of marigolds isn't completely pleasant. It's not completely offensive either. It's somewhere in between. It's a smell all its own. Hours after my hands have moved their long stems, cupped the blooms in wonder, I have to pause what I'm doing -- making the bed, vacuuming the house, hanging up clothes that had been unceremoniously dropped on the bedroom floor -- when the faint whiff of marigold drifts up to remind me of my time with them. Marigolds are just lovely. Whenever I see a marigold or smell a marigold, I'm taken back to my childhood. To a movie that for some reason became a part of who I am. I was only eight when the movie came out, but I remember having a very strong reaction to it, and every summer when I plant marigolds, I think of that movie: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds. I try to watch it at least once a year, and since the marigolds I planted this summer are blooming, I thought the time is perfect to watch the movie
Read more

Night Sky

Image
I had dinner with friends last evening. In their screened-in patio overlooking a wooded backyard leading to a creek. The air cooled significantly as the sky darkened, and at one moment we all enjoyed watching an owl that had taken perch on a tree limb near the creek. While a movie played, we chatted and ate ice pops. I'm pretty sure mine was grapefruit. At least that's what I'm going with.  Not long after the movie ended, I made my way home, which wasn't far. Just a couple of blocks. Cicada, cricket, and frog song drifted on the cool air, and when I looked up, I saw a clear sky full of stars. We've not had a clear night in some time. I stopped in the middle of the street to take in the scene. When I finally arrived home I decided to try and get some night sky photos, something I've never done before. I had no idea what I was doing. I spent twenty minutes or so on the front porch, swaying in my hammock swing as I read an article about astrophotography. What lens
Read more

Profoundly Sad Today and I Don't Know Why

Image
I'm right at the edge today, fearing I might step off if the just-right reason shows up. What the just-right reason is, I don't know, but I guess if I end up dissolving into the tears that seem to be threatening, I'll know then. I'm trying to be analytical about the feeling pressing against the back of my eyes and through my nasal passages, hoping that analysis will help the feeling go away. It's not really working. Sleep eluded me most of the night. Once or twice a month I have a night sleep just won't come. I go to bed tired, but after an hour or two of sleep, I'm wide awake. Tossing, mostly onto my back and my left side. I don't sleep on my right side since my vertigo incident. I actually prefer my right but I'm afraid I'll trigger another bout of dizziness. Sleep laughed at me and slithered off to bathe someone else in dreamland. I'm pretty sure lack of sleep is part of today's slipping into sadness. That and thoughts of Ado. I miss h
Read more