My dog Oreo can sleep anywhere within seconds, even if I’m watching TV or listening to music. He dozes off in deep sleep, undisturbed.
But at midnight, he often jumps up at the slightest sound and starts barking.
I once asked him, “How is it that the noise of the TV doesn’t bother you, and you sleep so peacefully, yet you wake up instantly at a faint midnight noise?”
Oreo replied, “We dogs have only two states—sleeping and waking. That’s it.”
“But I also sleep like you, on the bed at night,” I said.
He looked at me and said,
“You sleep, yes—but then you gradually drift into a dream world. And it’s hard for you to come out of it, even when the alarm rings.”
“So you don’t dream, Oreo?”
“No,” he said. “We dogs sleep, but we remain in this world. That’s why I can wake up fresh and alert in an instant if something sounds strange.
You, on the other hand, need time to return from your dream world to your senses—and reality.”
“Oh poor Oreo,” I chuckled, “you don’t know how amazing the dream world is!
Last night, I dreamt I was in the White House, having drinks with Trump.
He insisted I try American bourbon instead of my usual single malt. I obliged, but felt dizzy—bourbon isn’t as smooth.
After dinner, I was flown back to Chandigarh on Air Force One. Apparently, it had been gifted by Qatar.”
Oreo rolled his eyes and said,
“But I’ve seen you dreaming even during the day—with your eyes open.”
“No, that’s not dreaming—that’s thinking. Sometimes I just get lost in thought,” I explained.
“So, you dream at night and think during the day,” Oreo mused.
“That’s why you’re rarely in the moment. Unlike me.”
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