A little over two weeks ago, I woke from a lovely dream and tried desperately to get back. Have you had one of those? Sadly for me that night, it was a no go. I had been dreaming I was at the local senior center when a gentleman caught my eye. He was leaning on a mop in a bucket and was gazing at the seniors milling about.
He looked really familiar and I approached him to start up a conversation. As I questioned him, he leaned towards my ear and whispered something that really made my day.
I gave her my best smile and told her that"janitor"was Robert De Niro and he was researching a character for an upcoming movie. She almost ran me over to get to him but he reached past her and put his hand out for me. Then I woke up. Darn it.
He hadn't been the DeNiro of the Raging Bull, Godfather fame but the kinder, gentler version I had seen in the movie The Intern. More my kind of guy.
Two weeks later I was having my pacemaker checked. It will record everything that has been going on with your heart for the past 3 months including any irregularities. I also deal with AFIB (rapid heart beat) and she mentioned that I'd had an episode a few weeks ago.
I said it had to be when I was sleeping for I sure wasn't aware of any episodes while awake. They usually get my attention but they have mainly disappeared with the medication I take.
She said it happened two weeks prior at 1:30 AM and was relatively brief.
I thought a bit and said half jokingly that had to have been the night I was dreaming about Robert De Niro.
Well the technician exploded in laughter so hard she actually spit a little on me. Not sure she found it so funny that an 80 year old had romantic dreams or that anyone would dream about such an old actor. Actually he is 4 years my junior. Does that make me a cougar?
Guess I am not too old to get the heart rate up over an actor but I was a bit irritated that the pacemaker ratted me out.
Hum, now I am wondering if pacemaker readings could be used as evidence in court? I think Edgar Allan Poe hinted at that in his short story "The Tell Tale Heart."
Guess I'd better not commit any crimes.
Well darn! I wonder what a romp in the hay would look like on my AICD.
ReplyDeleteLisa,
DeleteHa ha, not sure the AICD records like the pacemaker. If it does, hopefully your tech isn't counting.
Oh my goodness...I'm sure it WAS the dream ...they always say make sure your heart is up to it.
ReplyDeleteI know my cardiologist said after my heart,attack, I could do ANYTHING but dishes. But, I've never had a dream-boat janitor...so the dishes keep piling up.
Annie,
DeleteHa ha. I know they always brought that up in Cardio rehab. Darn I was never told not to wash dishes though.
OMG this is a hoot! Good for you, nice dream Patti! Nothing like a heart a flutter.
ReplyDeletePeggy,
DeleteThank you and glad you enjoyed. Hey, they say cardio is good for the heart.
I, too, try to hold on to the good dreams when I wake up but I've never been successful at picking them back up again when I fall back to sleep.
ReplyDeleteLove your experience with the tech!
Jean,
DeleteI have never gone back to one either. What surprised me about the tech is that I didn't realize I had said that out loud. Oops.
You made me laugh out loud! Your pacemaker ratted you out. I've never thought about the heart reacting to dreams. What an interesting thing to ponder. Great dream!
ReplyDeleterobin,
DeleteDelighted I found your funny bone. I guess it does--my pacemaker proved that. I suppose it would also ratchet up for nightmares also. Good thing I don't have those.
Priceless! Another "The New Sixty" classic. Still knocking it out of the park!
ReplyDeleteLC,
DeleteThank you so much. Feels good when I get good responses.
Oh, no. Now I'm worried what my pacemaker will tell others. I have had some scary dreams lately(due to some medication I am taking) where I scream, throw off the covers and turn on the light. One night I knew I saw a giant spider climbing a thread right above me. Nope, just a dream. I hope I don't have to explain any late night rapid heart rates.
ReplyDeleteSnickelfritz,
DeleteYikes, so sorry you are having such scary dreams. No fun. I imagine anything that would make your heart beat faster would show up. Hope you have the meds straightened out.
I,too,have occasional dreams that a man is interested in me. Sometimes it is nobody I know and other times it is someone my mind picked that I hadn't thought about in years. I love these dreams but they do make me wish for the youth I left behind. Oh well, that's just the way it is and I'm glad I'm still around and dreaming.
ReplyDeleteBarbara,
DeleteIsn't it fun to slip easily into the past if only via a dream? I don't miss the youth so much but the sound body of youth would be nice.
Great story, told by one great story teller!
ReplyDeleteLinda,
DeleteThank you so much. I am delighted you think so.
Gosh - I had no idea dreams could raise the heart rate. I have a watch that's supposed to record sleep patterns, and it also takes heart rate. I never wear it at night, but now I'm wondering what it would tell me. Sometimes, though, I just don't want all that information! I love your story Patti - it gave me a chuckle. I once saw a young DeNiro filming late night on the streets of New York. I was shocked by how short he was!
ReplyDeleteBarb,
DeleteNot positive that is what happened but the timing was pretty spot on.
Good think I am short too. I recently saw him at Alex Baldwin's roast and he appeared shrunken and looked even shorter. Can kind of relate.
Sweet dreams!
ReplyDeletejoeh,
DeleteThank you so much. I hope for more.
I've had several dreams that I haven't wanted to wake up from, twice a now deceased actor/singer and in those dreams we are good friends spending a day together, and twice again, similar dreams of an old work colleague who I never would have socialised with outside of work as he was much younger than me, although we did get on well at work.
ReplyDeleteRiver,
DeleteIsn't it surprising who shows up in our dreams? DeNiro was not even on my wish list but there he was.
I have been having vivid dreams lately, too. I can occasionally go back to sleep after getting up to pee and get back into a dream, but it's not often. Do you dream in color? I do. :-)
ReplyDeleteDjan,
ReplyDeleteMe too on vivid dreams in color. Last night I had a disturbing one--my car was stolen--and during the dream I said, "this has to be one of those silly dreams." But everything looked so real I just went with it and kept looked for my car. Sometimes it is like living two lives.
I envy you being able to get back in the dream. I haven't done that yet.
Thanks for the laughs, Patti. And for reminding folks that we can still dream.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn,
DeleteGlad you enjoyed. Dreams make life fun.
Oh my! That is funny! If I had a pacemaker it would be going off more because I dreamed I was falling though. You have better dreams than I do.
ReplyDeleteKay,
DeleteThanks. Ooh, those falling dreams are a shock aren't they? Don't have many but they do get your attention.
I loved it! Having fallen in love at age 80 with a sweet, gentlemanly gentleman I wonder how often my heart raced and would have told on me if I'd had a pacemaker. Sadly he is gone now and my heart has no reason to race and act up. Poohy.
ReplyDeleteLatane,
DeleteI am so sorry that you lost your late life love but so happy that you got to have one. Good to know it is never too late.
Dear Patti, this is a great story. As I've said to you in one of my responses to a comment you let on my blog: you are one fine storyteller. All of us have had things happen in our lives that are funny, amusing, embarrassing. But you remember and tell the story and bring us all to laughter. thank you for helping me stay healthy! Peace.
ReplyDeleteDee,
DeleteThank you so much for the kind words. I do love to tell stories and am just delighted when I have one to tell.
I used to have lucid dreams - ones I could continue at will, but not so much lately. The ones I have these days seem to be some form of being 'lost' with no way to communicate or find my way back...??? Scary. Your dreams sound like a lot more fun!
ReplyDeleteOh that is so cute!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOf course we can still get our heart rate going, in our 80's. We may be old, but we aren't dead!!!!
But I'd need a diff actor than DeNiro. May be a great actor, but his views, make him a solid gold ass-hole, in my estimation.
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