He Has Tresses for Real Success

Dear Cynthia: As a man heading into his mid-30s, I occasionally dream of being bald and trying desperately to hide it. However, last night I dreamed I had a beautiful, thick head of hair! It reached down to my shoulder blades, and I felt quite pleased. In this dream I was wearing a finely tailored suit. Friends were commenting on the suit and the hair, saying how much they liked both. As I left that scene, I wandered into a parking garage. I got into a large classic Lincoln from the ‘50s and drove away. What is the deal with this bizarre, albeit pleasant, dream?

NICK CORONEUS

Glendale

Dear Reader: Hair is associated with strength, as in the biblical story of Samson, who lost his strength when his hair was cut. It also is connected to sexuality, virility, seductiveness, health and power. Previous dreams in which you were bald and trying to cover up the fact may have occurred when you felt insecure about your strength and / or sex appeal.

But this dream with the hair (and the suit, and the Lincoln) indicates that recent events of your waking life have given you cause to feel confident and proud.

*

Dear Cynthia: My mother-in-law and I are at the airport together, standing in front of the arrival and departure monitors. We suddenly realize what the date is and that we have more time to travel than we thought. We get excited and start thinking about where we should go.

We decide to check out a ticket counter in a different terminal. There are no escalators. The only way to get from terminal to terminal and floor to floor is to use roller coasters that are in water, like a ride at Disneyland. Would you please shed some light on this airport adventure? Thanks.

KIMBERLY J. PHILLIPS

Deerfield, Ill.

Dear Reader: Your relationship with your mother-in-law can go anywhere--and you have more time than you thought to decide on a new way to define the relationship. You are ready to take off to new destinations or ways of relating to her. But there is no easy escalator to get you to the next level. Part of you knows that you will get there all right, since you view the situation in terms of a roller coaster, an amusement ride. Still, the water indicates that it is an emotional process.

Because you mention “more time,” “departure” and the word “terminal,” I am wondering whether there has been a threat of illness for either of you, or something else such as a recent death in the family that is causing you to fear a shortening of your time together. But whatever has caused the emotional ups and downs, it appears as though your bond with your mother-in-law is a valued and happy one.

* Behavioral therapist Cynthia Richmond’s column appears every other Tuesday. To contact her, write to In Your Dreams, Life & Style, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053; send a fax to (213) 237-0732; or e-mail her at cynthrich@aol.com. Please include your city and a daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 100 words and cannot be returned. In Your Dreams should be read for entertainment purposes only.