Belched up with tidings of comfort and joy by Joe at 1:53:00 PM.

Belched up with tidings of comfort and joy by Joe at 7:33:00 PM.

Belched up with tidings of comfort and joy by Joe at 7:03:00 PM.

Belched up with tidings of comfort and joy by Joe at 6:50:00 PM.

Belched up with tidings of comfort and joy by Joe at 6:20:00 AM.

Belched up with tidings of comfort and joy by Joe at 10:28:00 AM.

Setting:
So I had a dream last night that was unlike any dream I have ever had. I was recruited by NASA to go to the International Space Station due to abilities I have in nuclear engineering (why? I don't know, it was a dream). At the International Space Station an incident occurs that somehow involves the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D and everyone has to evacuate to the escape pods to escape an explosion (does the ISS have escape pods? I don't know, its a dream). Anyways, it turns out all this was a set up to the main part.

Nepal:
The space pod I am in crash lands in the mountains in Nepal. The crash landing amazingly was within walking distance of a monastery of monks. The mountains were windy and covered in snow. The temperature was far below this Florida guy has ever faced in his life. I make my way over to the monastery and knock on its front door, still wearing the traditional orange NASA oversuits that do nothing for warmth. I am greeted at the door and allowed to rest in their 'lobby'. I say 'lobby' with quotes because it really was just an empty room with nothing in it, but lobby I think would be most descriptive because it was the first room in the monastery. The entire building looked old and was made of wood, the lobby was no different. I had a curiosity about the monks, a monastery out in the middle of nowhere is not something I am used to in day to day college living. A monk came into the 'lobby' area and greeted me in a language I didn't understand. he signaled for me to follow and I came to what appeared to be a teaching room; it was very dusty. He then proceeded to ask me various questions in that same language. After a few responses of mine he then started talking to me in English. This part of my dream had the highest detail, and I cannot remember what he taught me. However, I was a terrible student, all I could think of while he was teaching me was what my parents were thinking when the ISS was evacuated before it blew up. I kept playing with my cell phone in my pocket, thinking when this lesson will be over so I could call them. Then it occurred to me: my cell phone would never get a signal in the mountains of Nepal. After realizing this, I started to pay more attention. For some reason in my dream I felt totally at peace at this point. Everything in my life was gone but this old man's teachings. He taught me only a few things throughout the whole day, apparently he was taking his time. He then left me when he was finished and talked to many other old monks. They seemed to be quietly talking among themselves if I should be allowed to continue to learn at the monastery. Good news: I was accepted. He told me to rest up and I was led to a communal room of students' living quarters; they were empty. From here I went to a diving area and got some soup. I saw some students here, including three Americans, two girls and a guy. I talked quietly with one of the girls; the entire room was very quiet and I felt awkward if I said anything above a very soft voice (but louder than a whisper). I talked to her about why she was here, what she wanted from life, relationships, and such life-long subjects of discussion. She was tall, thin, blond, and very beautiful. She was very friendly, yet very reserved. It's somewhat hard to explain. I talked to the barmaid after that, I told her about how I was worried about how my parents. I was missing after a disaster at the International Space Station, they had to be worried out of their minds about me. I also told her how I did not think I could stay here. I had one more month left at UF, and I can't just stop that now before I completed everything. This made me think what I truly wanted with life. The monastery offered inner peace. My career offered the American dream. I decided that I would leave the monastery and come back once I have graduated from UF. The barmaid told me that if I did plan on leaving i had better do it before when the monks woke up each morning at 5am or else I would get a swift kick in the ass (yes those were the exact words in my dream, I remember smiling). I wrote the monk who was my mentor a thank you note on some parchment and told him that it was my intent to leave and come back within 6 months, then after learning all that I could learn (how hypocritical I was, I could never learn all they had to offer), I would then pursue my career in nuclear engineering. I made my way out, all anyone had to offer was a warm coat. Combined with my NASA jumpsuit, I was freezing more than I have ever felt before. I barely made my way to a town on the way down the mountain and then I had some more soup. I got some warm pants here and told a town dweller I would pay him once I found some way to contact my bank when I got to the base of the mountains and in a city. He declined my offer and I didn't think anyone else would help so I begun the long and lonely task of traveling down the mountain in freezing weather, not knowing if I would survive. I got stuck in about 5 ft of snow at some point. My only thought in my mind was to get back to the United States and let my family and friends know that I am okay, that everything is alright. At this point I thought that would never happen. I struggled to get out of the snow but it felt like quicksand; the more I struggled, the more I couldn't get out. My vision in my dream then went dark and I woke up.

What I think it meant
I felt so incredibly at peace and happy at the monastery, but I always had my friends and family in my mind. I had inner peace before me, perhaps the most sought after state of being in life, but I could not pursue it there. I had to be with my friends and family. I would have to find my own way in life, and I made the choice it would be with my friends and family. I don't know if I died getting back, but I have realized from this that what I truly want in this life is friends and a family. I want a career that will support a family of my own.

Belched up with tidings of comfort and joy by Joe at 11:07:00 AM.

Belched up with tidings of comfort and joy by Joe at 3:25:00 PM.

Belched up with tidings of comfort and joy by Joe at 3:49:00 AM.