But so more than that. A desire. A wish. A bunch of chemicals playing scenes in our heads.
Ethereal and fleeing.
Sometimes a story of varying sensicalness, sometimes only shapes and colors, and sometimes, just the remnant of a feeling when you wake. Like something mystical might have happened might have happened through the night, but you're not quite sure, a slight hesitation, like the word on the tip of your tongue that you cant quite remember. So close, but only almost, a hairs breadth away, but never touching. Did you leave? Did you go on some grand odd adventure to another dimension of new light and color, breathtaking and bright, to have it taken, erased from recollection when you returned home, left only with a remnant of an emotion on your awakening?
Or was it just a dream? Your brain going through and organizing: your hopes, your fears, your desires, your thoughts, experiences, random information it distractedly picked up through the day. Or perhaps your subconscious mind was trying to tell you something? You're stressed, you're afraid, confused, excited for the future. Maybe it was trying to help you deal with it. You're subconscious isn't out to get you, generally. I mean it's probably never out to get you, but sometimes confuses itself, so it's possible that it goes crazy sometimes, but generally it's trying to help you, as painful as that help may sometimes be. We're looking at you anxiety, but that's a story for another day.
Dream can also refer to an aspiration or a desire. But personally, I don't like that use as much, not because I don't think you should have aspirations and desires, but because when you call them dreams, that's what they become. Ethereal and fleeing. Insubstantial and out of this world. Untouched and out of reach, leaving you forever star-crossed and broken hearted. So don't make your aspirations into dreams. Give them weight and substance so they don't fly off without you. Make them your wings and let them lift you. Make them a reality.