jamaican me crazy

i had some weird dreams while on vacation--i blame the spicy jamaican jerk seasoning on st. maarten.

in one dream, i was walking into a cafe somewhere.  at one table sat a set of parents i got to know four years ago.  at another small table sat their two sons, one of whom i knew really well as my student.  when i last saw him in real life, he used a wheel chair most of the time and a walker part of the time to negotiate movement around the school.  we worked a lot on mobility that year.  we also sang a lot that year.

in my dream, everyone was older.  both boys retained their salient features, but their faces were all stretched out, like the way our adult faces develop from the kid versions.  i knew it was them.

i moved to hug my former student.  (he always gave the best neck hugs and big wet kisses on the cheek.  i'll remember that forever.)  but, before i reached him, he surprised me by standing up on crutches!  he then proceeded to run circles around me, and we all played tag together: his parents, his brother, he and me.

i'm still thinking about that dream...  it was eerily vivid and i'd woken up in the hotel room thinking that it was real.  but it sticks out for me because it doesn't really fit my personal philosophy.  i don't believe that it's a tragedy if your child is born needing a wheelchair.  life-changing, yes; tragic, no.  you cope with it, get some support and move on (at least for many citizens in wealthy, industrialized nations.  it's definitely a different story here in developing countries.)  it's all about perspective and resiliency, and that's what i've seen in families over the years. 

so was my dream indicating that i don't really believe what i believe?  or was it just a fun time with a former family?  and why did they pop into my subconscious for a night?