Pete and I attended a matinee of the newly reprised Planet of the Apes on Sunday. Good, cheesy fun; although Peter’s appraisal of the cinematic merits of the film certainly exceeded mine (and this was his second viewing).
However…aside from the joy of sitting companionably next to my teenager in a theatre, there was a moment in the film that gave me such a strong sense of deja vu, I felt positively vertiginous.
In this particular scene, a large number of (animated) chimps were gamboling through the forest at a high rate of speed. With a start, I recognized that their particular gait, running but using their arms to propel them forward even faster, was exactly how I often run in my dreams. An ancient memory from my primate ancestors tucked away in my DNA?
I related this observation to Pete, wondering if he shared my proclivity for simian ambulation. He was speedy in his dreams, but bipedal only. When we got home, I contacted Jemesii, but she also remained on two feet, unless she was flying. So then I called August. Bingo! He’d never thought about it in that context, but yes, he also sometimes runs like a chimpanzee when dreaming!
Now, we have a joke in our family. There are two distinct factions: David, (also doesn’t run like a chimp), Jemesii, and Peter are one unit. They are all three quite bright and able to retain and better yet, retrieve information at the drop of a hat. You know, smarty pants (all said fondly and with some undisguised envy).
And then there’s August, myself, and Buddy. Or as Aug likes to say; ‘you, me, and the dog’. Our attention and retention tend to be a bit spotty. Spontaneous, if you will. Carefree, charming, and goodlooking…okay. Now I’m making stuff up. The other faction is in possession of those qualities as well, and almost as much fun as ‘you, me, and the dog’ too (this is where I turn to one of my kids and say, “isn’t mom funny?”).
I’m pretty sure Buddy runs like a chimp in his dreams. Maybe even climbs trees. Anybody else out there?
life and breath: outliving lung cancer 
Interesting thought! As much as I would like to be in any group you are in, I have to admit I belong to the “other” fraction.
I just told Ingo about your post, and he just replied: I never run in my dreams!
That’s probably a third sub-group…….
Ingo would have to be in his own group, wouldn’t he! How about Otto?
Love, Linnea
Seems like I am most often looking for a restroom in my dreams. Once there were many dreams kind of flying, but long gone.
I just flew the other night. I too, have those restroom dreams though.
Another lovely post. Nice shot of Buddy!
Thanks!
I’m in Buddy’s group! oh yeah, and you and August…
REally? Love you Amy (and so does Buddy and I’m sure Aug would as well).
Linnea
Linneagirl,
You and Pete might be the only knuckle-draggers. I queried Cristina and everyone at work (you should have seen some of the looks I got) and no one goes ape in dreamtime. You’ve just got very old souls. XO
It’s not Pete, sweet pea. He walks upright in his sleep; it’s me and the Aug dog. Old souls: maybe. More likely, in touch with our primitive selves. And hey, I think that’s great that you queried your colleagues. Gave them all something to think about.
Love, Linnea