I am tempted to think that it is only the particular incidences, the ones that later fit with what happens, that I commit to memory, conveniently forgetting every picture and dream that doesn't come into being. How about all those other things that happen--I totaled my car last May for example, why didn't I get an impending feeling of doom before I slammed into a bull elk at 70 mph? Also the inconsistency of the nature of the experiences (bird's eye view, dream, sentence popping in head, random images) make me think that it's likely just I get lucky here and there with my wild imagination. So, I just wanted to share some instances here and see what other people thought about them.
When I was 11 or 12 I was laying on my bed reading one afternoon when all of a sudden I had a terrible vision. It was as if I were viewing it from above--bird's eye view--a red tuck pulled out of a driveway only to collide with a gas truck in an awful explosion. I sat straight up in terror. Not long after that, my mom was driving me to my dance lesson and we were backed up in traffic because of just such an accident. This has been the only such incident of a 'bird's eye view' sort of vision.
There have been other, much less dramatic things. I grew up in Ohio, went to school in Arizona, and am now in grad school in Alberta. I saw myself at Arizona years before I actually applied to colleges (just a picture in my adolescent head of a grown-up me in AZ). When it came time to do so, Arizona State had my dream department, and offered me a scholarship as well, making it my best possible choice. As for grad schools, something about western Canada popped into my head, along with an image. I applied to a few different schools a year or so later and the only program that accepted me was Alberta.
I became engaged in December. It was a very unexpected engagement--yet I kept picturing myself at school this semester with an engagement ring, which I attributed to wishful thinking on my part. And then he surprised me by bringing up the topic of marriage, and here I am, wearing a ring. The same guy, well over a year ago and before we were dating, I was looking at a picture of him and suddenly was overcome with the realization that he will be the father of my children, accompanied by a distinct image in my mind. (This has yet to happen, but if we are married, it hopefully will).
When Iraq was first invaded, I dreamed of watching the news and hearing Saddam Hussein had been captured and executed by hanging-- when I woke up I thought this had actually happened (most of my dreams are not very realistic so to have one that is was confusing).
My sister's current boyfriend, whom she will probably end up marrying (they are not formally engaged but have made plans once they're done with college), was originally (well, still is) a friend of mine. We met at work in high school (we had the same part-time afterschool job), and I remember thinking about him marrying her, even though it was well before they even met. In my mind I envisioned him being part of our family gatherings at holidays, and said something to him about it.
Then there's the really little mundane things. I recently moved and when I got the phone line activated in my new apartment, it didn't work. The first time the phone company sent someone out, they were unable to repair it because they needed access to a building and my landlord wasn't around. We rescheduled, and I was telling my boyfriend about it on a payphone at school--and then I realized that it wouldn't be fixed that time either, though I didn't know why, or how I knew that. And it wasn't. It took three visits to get it figured out.
I also fly a lot because I live far away from my family and visit a couple times a year, though I never had luggage problems until the last two times I've flown, and both times I've had feelings of leaving something behind as I changed planes, and then just annoying thoughts of how I didn't want my luggage to be lost even though I had no reason to think that would be the case as I had never had any trouble like that before.
I actually don't recall this, but when my grandmother died in the night when I was ten years old, I apparently already knew when my father tried to explain it to me the next morning.
I have a pretty vivid imagination, but it seems to me that particular things come into my mind a different way than my imaginings. There is a different feel to them. It's like they slide or fade into my mind, they just appear, whereas other images are built there...? I don't know how to explain it.
I've been getting impressions about my fiancee and a girl he had a thing for ages ago, who actually died before I met him. I'm not sure whether to be worried about it or if it's just nerves and I'm over sensitive since I'm newly engaged and stressed out in general. It's not something that would keep me from marrying him but is something that would need discussed, and I don't want to bring up unless it's absolutely necessary.
An outside opinion on the past experiences I have shared would help me feel either more confident in my own abilities, or alternatively, help give me a reality shake here. Either, so long as it's honest, is appreciated.
Thanks for reading!
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