I Missed The Bus: An Exploration of Dreams & The Subconscious Mind
“How could it be? 20 something
All alone still, not a thing in my name
Ain't got nothin', runnin' from love
Only know fear”-Solana ‘SZA’ Rowe
Whether it was SEPTA or the yellow cheese bus, I’m sure everyone has missed the bus at least once in their life. I can vividly remember the feeling of anxiety and panic waking up late and rushing outside, only to see the bus speed away. Feeling defeated, I returned back into the house to figure out my next course of action to get to school. Because my bus stop was literally right at the corner and only a few feet away from my house, missing the bus was an extremely rare occasion, but for years I would have this recurring dream of missing the bus! Now, having a dream like this really wasn’t that surprising considering the fact that I did take the bus all throughout elementary school into high school however; I didn’t understand why I continued to have this dream in my college years when catching the bus was no longer part of my daily routine.
My junior year of college, I took a course studying theory, and one day we discussed dreams and symbolism. I learned that the thoughts of your subconscious mind are presented in your dreams in the form of symbols. Dreams can be an expression of our fears or our current emotional states or even a suggested solution to a problem that is bothering us. I was quite intrigued by this lesson and it instantly made me think about my recurring dream of missing the bus. The dream always begins with me waking up in a panic, realizing that I have slept through my alarm and the bus will be coming shortly. No matter how quickly I try to get myself together, I’m never able to catch the bus. Most of the time I never even make it outside and I am left peering out of my window as the bus drives by.
During a meeting with my theory professor, I told him about my dream and asked him what he thought it meant. After listening intently, he asked me if I ever heard of the phrase, “You/I missed the bus.”’ “I missed the bus” is an idiom for expressing a missed opportunity or someone missed the chance to do something because they did not act quick enough. I decided to dissect my dream even further and analyze each symbol to uncover its true meaning:
• Missing the bus = a missed opportunity
• The people on the bus represent my peers
• The bus stop at the corner near my house = all of the available opportunities that I may overlook even though they’re right in front of me
• My room/house = my comfort zone
• My alarm = wake up/ call to action
• Feelings associated with dream = anxiety, panic, abandonment
My analysis revealed a direct reflection of my internal struggles. In summary, the dream ultimately signified my feelings of doubt and abandonment that resulted from failure to leave my comfort zone and take advantage of potential opportunities for advancement. By the time I wake up and truly acknowledge these opportunities, they have already passed and my peers have already benefited from them. I am left feeling anxious and wondering my fate and if I’ll ever reach my next destination.
While I no longer have that recurring bus dream, those subconscious fears still haunt me. Looking back, admittedly there have been many instances where I felt like I wasn’t where I was supposed to be in life or falling behind. When I reevaluate my life—which I do often—I constantly think about the opportunities I should have taken advantage of and what I maybe could have done differently.
Unfortunately, I cannot change the past nor turn back the hands of time, but I can surely change my present situation and make way for a brighter future. Moving forward, I’ve decided to be more proactive in taking advantage of the resources and opportunities around me and not let FEAR keep me from following my dreams and I encourage all of us to do the same.