In my dream, I was driving back to Tamkang University.
In the dream, it seemed like during the latter half of my university life, I would always drive up the hill. I also remember being at a restaurant near the school, though I’m not sure who I was eating with. At the time, a plate of braised food costing over 100 dollars gave me a great sense of happiness and satisfaction, and I didn’t think it was expensive.
But in reality, I only spent a year and a half at Tamkang, I didn’t have a car, and given my financial situation at the time, I couldn’t afford a plate of braised food that cost over 100 dollars. So, I’m not sure where that feeling of happiness came from.
夢見我開車回淡江大學。
在我的夢裡，好像我大學生活的後半期，都是開車上山。還提到我在學校附近餐廳裡，不知道跟誰一起吃飯，當時一盤滷味 100 多塊，就給我很滿足的幸福感，而且覺得也不貴。
可是實際上我淡江只待了一年半，我沒有車。而且以當時的經濟狀況，我也吃不起 100 多元的滷味。所以我不知道那個幸福感是從何而來。
這個夢似乎將你過去的記憶和情感與成就感和滿足感混合在一起，這可能與你的實際經歷不符。夢通常不僅反映我們的經歷，也反映我們潛意識的慾望、情感和想法，所以這可以有多種解釋：
對過去的懷舊和理想化：雖然你真正的大學經歷較短，經濟上也不太安穩，但夢境以理想化的方式描繪了它。駕駛汽車和享受美食可能象徵著獨立、自由和滿足——你在人生的那個時期可能渴望或希望得到的東西。這個夢可能反映了潛意識裡對本來可能發生的事情的渴望。
成就的象徵：駕駛汽車通常象徵掌控自己的生活和方向。在夢中，開車回到淡江，可能象徵著重溫你過去的重要部分，或是反思從那時起你是如何成長的。這頓飯，即使是你當時買不起的東西，也可能象徵著成就感，或曾經看似遙不可及的願望的實現。
幸福感：夢中無法解釋的幸福感，可能代表更深層的情感滿足，也許來自你現在的生活。這個夢可能反映了一種滿足感，即使它與你過去的特定物質環境無關。
最終，這個夢境可能會幫助你處理和反思自大學以來你的生活發生了怎樣的變化，以及你的滿足感和幸福感是如何演變的。
1. Reconciliation with Reality
As you're leaving the restaurant, you step outside to find the car parked at the top of the hill, but instead of getting in, you realize you don’t have the keys. In that moment, it dawns on you that you never had a car in university. The scene around you begins to fade, and you find yourself standing at a bus stop, just like in real life. Yet, you feel calm and content, accepting that even without the luxuries, you were still on the right path.
Interpretation: This ending suggests a coming to terms with your past and a realization that happiness isn't necessarily tied to material things or circumstances you didn’t have.
2. A Sudden Shift in Time
As you finish the meal, the restaurant slowly transforms into a more modern, upscale place. You look out the window, and instead of the university, you see a city skyline. You realize time has jumped, and you're now in the present. A friend or loved one walks in to join you, and together you smile at how far you’ve come. The car you didn’t have then is now waiting for you outside.
Interpretation: This ending represents growth and progress, illustrating that the things you didn’t have back then are now part of your life, and the happiness you felt in the dream is rooted in your current reality.
3. A Dream Within a Dream
After finishing your meal, you get into the car and start driving up the hill. However, as you reach the top, the road disappears, and suddenly you’re standing back in your old dorm room. Everything feels familiar, but when you look out the window, you see yourself sitting in that same restaurant, happy and content, as if watching a past version of yourself. You then wake up, realizing that it was all just a dream within a dream, leaving you wondering if your happiness came from within all along.
Interpretation: This ending highlights the idea that contentment is internal, and sometimes the dreams we have reflect our inner emotional journey more than actual memories.
4. A Mystical Encounter
After the meal, as you leave the restaurant, you notice a mysterious figure waiting by the car. When you approach, the figure turns out to be an older version of yourself, smiling knowingly. Without saying a word, they hand you the car keys and walk away, disappearing into the mist. As you get into the car, you feel a deep sense of peace and understanding, as if you’ve unlocked a secret about your own happiness.
Interpretation: This ending introduces a mystical or spiritual element, suggesting that your happiness was a gift from a future version of yourself, implying growth and wisdom over time.
5. Rediscovering the Past
As you finish the meal and walk to the car, you notice a small café tucked away behind the restaurant, one you never noticed before. Curious, you enter, and inside you find old photos of your university days hanging on the walls. Among them, there’s a photo of you smiling with friends, eating that same meal. You realize that even though you couldn’t afford it back then, you still found joy in simpler moments. As you leave the café, you no longer feel the need to drive up the hill, and instead, you walk.
Interpretation: This ending is about rediscovering the happiness in your past and realizing that joy was always present, even if it wasn’t tied to material wealth.
This dream seems to mix memories and emotions from your past with feelings of fulfillment and satisfaction that might not align with your actual experience. Dreams often reflect not only our experiences but also our subconscious desires, emotions, and thoughts, so this could be interpreted in several ways:
Nostalgia and Idealization of the Past: Although your real university experience was shorter and less financially secure, the dream portrays it in an idealized way. Driving a car and enjoying a meal might symbolize independence, freedom, and satisfaction—things you might have desired or wished for during that period of your life. The dream could be reflecting a subconscious longing for what could have been.
Symbolic of Accomplishment: Driving a car is often a metaphor for being in control of one’s life and direction. In the dream, driving back to Tamkang might symbolize revisiting an important part of your past or reflecting on how you’ve grown since then. The meal, even though it’s something you couldn’t afford at the time, might symbolize a sense of achievement or the fulfillment of desires that once seemed unattainable.
The Feeling of Happiness: The unexplained sense of happiness in the dream may represent a deeper emotional satisfaction, perhaps from where you are in life now. The dream could be reflecting a sense of contentment, even if it’s not tied to specific material circumstances from your past.
Ultimately, this dream may be helping you process and reflect on how your life has changed since university, as well as how your feelings of satisfaction and happiness have evolved.