Dream Exploration: False Awakening
One morning, I was trying to wake up, but couldn’t. I drifted back to sleep. A few minutes later, I woke up again. When I realised that I’d fallen asleep, I told myself, “No, I shouldn’t fall asleep again. I should wake up”. So I did and, as usual, I freshened up and made tea.
But as I was doing so, something seemed off. Maybe the tea steeped instantly instead of taking a few minutes. Or maybe I didn’t have to filter it — the spent tea leaves just disappeared on their own. Whatever small frictions there are in day to day activities weren’t there. It was too easy. I ended up with a cup of tea with no effort. It felt strange1.
That’s when I realised I was dreaming, that I was actually still in bed, sleeping. I woke up, freshened up and again made tea — this time for real.
Like a movie where they edit out minor bits like the hero charging his phone.
Since I wasn’t fully asleep, I retained enough consciousness to know that it was hyper-smooth. Normal dreams are often hyper-smooth too, but in those I’m fully asleep and don’t have the self-awareness to question why things are too easy.