I Dream of Bridge . . .

. . . And it turns out to be a nightmare!

I don't do things quite the way other people do, and that includes my dreams. I don't dream that I have to give a speech and realize I'm naked or just in my undies. I don't dream I'm being chased by a monster, or that I'm falling. I don't have recurring dreams.

But last night, all that changed. I had my first anxiety dream ever. Classic set up: I'm in the wrong room, taking an exam I didn't know about and didn't study for -- only, it was bridge. A bridge exam. A weird bridge exam!

The room was a cross between those large lecture halls with banked seating and a movie theater. I was seated on the aisle. There was a box of supplies at my feet but I ignored it because what could it be? Nothing too important, right? I have no idea what I must have thought I was there for (a movie??) but when it became clear I was supposed to be doing something with the box of supplies, I scrabbled around to get stuff working. I think I was supposed to have arrived early to set up the bidding box and the pack of cards. As it is, I think the cards are playing cards not bidding cards, so I just open the plastic wrapping enough to take out a card (2♣ ?) with no real idea what I was supposed to be doing.

At some point it occurs to me that there's someone sitting below me, and a couple people behind me and we're not just fooling around, we're bidding. For some reason. That's when I panicked. Wasn't I supposed to have a partner? Who was my partner? The person two seats behind me? What did that person bid?!? And aren't I supposed to have 13 cards in my hand? Is this thing being GRADED?!?

I woke myself up at this point -- it was too scary. Now, if I can just figure out how to do that at a bridge tournament . . .