How I am surviving

I'm not sure where to begin, but my dreams give me some indication that my life has a pleasant landscape around now, although it's surely the case that I am surviving in an odd way. I was in fact on very rocky terrain on the north-eastern part of Japan. I had to raise my head a little to get a picture of the map itself, but when I did, I noticed I was not just near the coast, but literally right on it. Young children were playing on these rocks and families had built their houses placidly alongside the silver, grey, clairvoyant waves. (Previously playful waves suddenly leaped with greater energy and malice, as my anxiety causes them to display a fiercer animation.)

I'm "on the edge" and "off Japan". That's how I am surviving now. The sense of place is magical, if a little dangerous. A rising tsunami might sweep all of us away.

In another part of the dream, I made a synchronized jog the surf with a kind of guru or fitness instructor with my army boots on. I grew not tired. I wondered why afterwards I chose to cut my boots and socks off with a pen-knife, starting at the sole. I'd already removed the fight boot that way, but I reconsidered having to do the same with the left. It suddenly dawned on me that it would be more natural to undo the shoe-laces, so I removed the remaining shoe in a more straightforward fashion. (I think I've cut a lot of right-wing people out of my life, but I plan not to do that with the left.)

In the final scene, I am racing through the Melbourne, up drainpipes and on trams, having stolen goods and finery. I have to disguise myself in clothes other than those I've stolen, in order to get through customs. I'm enjoying the game of searching for something to pass through in, since I am reasonably rich all of a sudden, which means I can explore some colorful disguises. (The 'stolen goods' are the knowledge I've gleaned, from previous ages.)

So, I encountered the three aspects of my life: my work, my leisure and my PhD.