Dreams are strange, mysterious things. Many of us have them, regardless of age, culture, language, or circumstances. Science has tried studying them, but even decades of medical research hasn’t shed much insight into what they are or why they happen.

For most of us, they these strange experiences that we struggle to remember once we wake up. They may leave us confused, restless, or anxious. But whenever they happen, it feels like our brain is trying to tell us something and we’re struggling to listen.

Trying to navigate them or just being able to remember them can be a challenge. For a time, when I was in college, I actually tried to keep a dream journal. I honestly don’t know where it is. But I did find that keeping a journal did help me remember my dreams more vividly. They were still rarely clear. They also weren’t very logical or revealing. But I did find it helpful, at least in terms of exploring the experience.

Over the course of my life, certain dreams have stood out more than others. Some have been pleasant. Some have been not-so-pleasant. Others just don’t make any sense and weren’t worth remembering. But one in particular, which occurred just a couple years ago, still stands out to me. For some reason, I can remember this dream more clearly than most. And I wasn’t even keeping a journal at the time.

I’d still like to share it because, in addition to actually remembering it, I found it funny. On top of that, it involves one of my adorable nephews, which is probably why it stands out more than others. It happened when one of them was still an infant who couldn’t walk. But to this day, I often find myself thinking about that dream whenever I visit him to get in some quality Uncle Jack time.

The dream played out in a strange, surreal sequence, as many dreams do. I found myself lying on a floor with soft white rug. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but I did recognize where I was. It was a room in my sister and her husband’s house. Specifically, it was my nephew’s room. I’d been there before whenever I visited them with my parents. It’s where he kept his toys and took his naps.

But for reasons I don’t fully understand, I somehow fell asleep in this room while lying on the floor. To be honest, that does sound like something I might do. If I ever get tired and groggy, I’ll fall asleep in strange situations. But what made this stand out even more was that my infant nephew was right there with me.

However, he wasn’t sleeping. He was sitting up right next to me. He had this big marker in his hand, not unlike the ones I’d seen him draw with before. And he was using it to write something on my face. I distinctly remember feeling it. I also remember looking up at him, seeing that distinct look in his face he got whenever he drew, and surmising what he was doing.

At this point in the dream, my sister and her husband show up. I become a bit more alert, so I’m able to get up slightly. But when I see them, they’re both laughing hysterically. They’re laughing so hard they’re holding onto each other to keep from keeling over. Then, my nephew begins laughing too. And I can still feel the marker on my face.

As the laughter escalates, I become urgently curious. I try to get up and find a mirror to see what my nephew drew on my face. The bathroom in my sister’s house just happens to be across from his room. So, I rush in. But before I can see what he drew on my face, I woke up.

It was a somewhat jarring feeling, waking up from a dream like that. On this particular morning, I distinctly remember it being around 4:30 a.m. I also remember just sitting up in my bed, shaking my head, and laughing to myself as well. I was honestly still very curious. I really did want to know what my nephew drew on my face that had my sister and her husband laughing so hard. Sadly, I’ll probably never know.

But to this day, I still remember that dream fondly. I’ve included it in the many other fond memories I’ve forged with my nephew, as well as my nieces. I’ve said before how much I love being an uncle. Maybe this dream was my brain’s way of telling me how much I’d embraced that role and how important my nieces and nephews are to me.

If that’s the case, then that just makes this dream more precious.