Problem-Solving in Dreamland

I love when I catch an answer in my dreams. I don't think it's very rare at all to find solutions in Dreamworld, but it is, at least for me, very uncommon to have a clear, memorable, make-sense-in-both-worlds type of revelation. I might be placing too much importance on my dreams last night, but upon waking, one of my major problems of the semester has seemingly been solved (now, it's just up to me to be disciplined enough to apply it).

In my veterinary microbiology class, we have a term paper that must discuss a disease afflicting animals that is either bacterial or viral in origin. And for the last two weeks, I've been completely stuck in all ideas nutritional, fungal, parasitic, even chemical poisoning. Some of ideas have been scurvy in bats, ethylene glycol poisoning, mange... Yesterday, I even tried opening up my Merck Veterinary Manual (it looks like a hybrid Bible/Dictionary) to a random page, closing my eyes and pointing -- and still, nothing bacterial or viral. I did that four times before giving up. I've been getting more and more worried about choosing this topic, afraid that I procrastinated so much about writing papers when I was younger that my body and brain now do it for me unconsciously.

But I now think, thanks to some good time spent with my subconscious self, that a topic is in sight:

Last night, I dreamt of spirochetes. Beautiful, spiraling bacteria (the ones above are Leptospira). Ones that I've regrettably never seen in person. In my dream, they were huge and they were everywhere, different shades of yellow and gold, colors often associated with mental processes. I stood in the center as they spiraled around me, and the wind and the light moved. 

It's significant to me that I remembered this, because I so often forget my dreams almost immediately. What's also significant is that Lyme Disease is caused by spirochetes...and one of my earlier thoughts was to write this paper about that. When I was around thirteen years old, my late Standard Poodle, Zoë, contracted Lyme, and she struggled with it for a long time. It definitely left an impression on me, and I always hope that my current boy Sól will never have to go through it. 

Since I began this blog post, I've already received confirmation from my professor, and I do feel some relief. However, I now need to begin figuring out my angle...(and I have another term paper for a different class as well). I'm very out of practice. I haven't had to write an essay since 2009. Fingers crossed that I'll find my voice.