Baggage Claim

I thought my dreams were weird.

Over the weekend, I watched Dream Scenario, Nicolas Cage’s 2023 movie about an ordinary schlub whose life becomes a nightmare after strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams.

The hero, Paul Matthews, is a college professor who initially enjoys his strange celebrity and sees an opportunity to publish his long‑delayed book.

But things go horribly wrong when people start dreaming that Paul is attacking — and even murdering — them. He quickly becomes a pariah to his neighbors, students, and even his family.

It’s a strange and, at times, disturbing film, but I enjoyed it. It reminded me of Charlie Kaufman, the writer of Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, and Synecdoche, New York.

The plot resembles a supposedly real event compiled on the website “Ever Dream This Man?”, created by Italian advertiser Andrea Natella. He claimed that more than 3,000 people had dreamed of the same man repeatedly for years, with the first case registered in New York City in 2006.

The web offered all kinds of explanations, but none were definitive or proven, and in 2009 the story went viral.

Eventually, it was exposed as a hoax — a guerrilla marketing campaign by Natella’s advertising agency. Natella admitted he made up the whole thing to explore how urban legends and collective myths are created and spread.

I had a pair of rather strange dreams recently that really shivered my emotional timbers.

They came in rapid succession and right after I got a radically new assignment at work, so there’s not much mystery as to their origin.

In the first dream, I’m standing in what appears to be the greeting‑card section of a department store, and I’m naked. I mean, like serious naked—as in nude, au naturel, El Buffo.

I’m not trying to gross you out, but I was in a bad way.

In this hellish scenario, I’m wondering how I’m going to make it to the door without being seen by the cashiers and customers — who weren’t visible but were definitely on my mind.

What I was going to do once I got outside, I have no idea. I was sniper‑focused on just getting out the door.

Finally, I looked down and saw that I was no longer naked, but wearing shorts or a loincloth that covered the naughty bits. And then I woke up.

A little Googling revealed that dreams of being naked typically symbolize vulnerability, anxiety, fear of judgment, or exposing secrets.

They’re common in stressful times — no kidding — and often reflect feelings of being exposed, underprepared, or insecure, especially in public or at work.

Being naked at work can symbolize feeling unworthy, having imposter syndrome, or fearing you’ll be exposed for a lack of experience.

Rocking My Dream Boat

That certainly matches up with my job change, where I’m now getting up at 5 a.m. to work on a business‑news blog.

After years of writing longform stories during normal business hours, this setup — and the technology associated with it — has me seriously stressed.

A few days later, I dreamed I was boarding a bus headed somewhere else and discovered my suitcase was missing. I dug through a massive pile of luggage but couldn’t find the damn thing.

Finally, I climbed aboard, and the next thing I know, my sister and I are entering a small arena and taking front‑row seats at what appears to be a tennis match.

In case you wondering, I don’t play tennis, I don’t watch tennis, I rarely even think of tennis, and I don’t particularly even like tennis. Nevertheless, there I was.

Another jog around Google told me that dreaming about lost luggage often symbolizes vulnerability, anxiety, and a loss of control or identity during life transitions — like, say, a new assignment at work.

It typically represents “emotional baggage,” unfinished business, or fear of losing something significant in waking life. It may also reflect a need to let go of past burdens or a sign that you’re moving in a new direction.

Again, the new job assignment comes to mind, as it has completely upended my schedule.

I’m going to the gym in the afternoon instead of the morning, so I no longer see my fellow boomer buddies — it’s all youngsters in the afternoon — and I’ve had to revise my personal writing schedule to accommodate an early bedtime.

In addition, some of my friends at work have either retired or left, so it’s a bit lonely in the morning.

Years ago, I worked a very early shift at CNN Financial News, and back then there was no remote work, so I had to add a brutal morning commute to the equation.

Hey, maybe my missing clothes from the first dream were in the suitcase I lost in the second one. Or maybe not…

I’m feeling more confident and enthusiastic about the job after speaking with our SEO expert and getting a better idea of what he’s looking for to get more clicks.

So, I’m hoping the nude/lost‑luggage nocturnal scenarios ease up as I get more accustomed to my new schedule.

And if you’ve had any dreams about me, I apologize.