A recurring nightmare of a rabbit plagued my dreamstate from the time I was a toddler until the age of nine, or so. You see, it wasn't really a rabbit, it was a person dressed up in a giant, fuzzy bunny suit. The rabbit wasn't scary in and of itself, but it was it's relentless pursuit of me that was always so terrifying.

In this dream, the rabbit would stalk me all throughout the house where I lived; chasing me from room to room. I always seemed to be just a step ahead of it and always, I would make it to the next hiding place just in the nick of time. It found me in every one. I'd run as fast as I could through the invisible molasses-like substance that exists in only dreamland and I would make it to the next cupboard or cabinet or nook just by the skin of my teeth.

When I finally made it to the very last hiding place. I would be sitting there in the dark, crammed into the little cabinet in the family room, heart pounding away, thinking to myself and praying..."Don't find me! Don't find me! Please, don't find me!" There was always a time warp that seemed to go on forever.... Then just like in a horror film, the door would suddenly fly open and the rabbit's giant head would be right there staring me in my face. At that point I usually woke up screaming at the top of my lungs.

For years and years this went on until somehow, I became cognizant while I was dreaming. The dream began and we went through the whole charade again, as usual. Hiding, finding, hiding, finding ....until I got to that last hiding place. As I was sitting there in the dark thinking "Don't find me!" I realized, "Wait, what are you afraid of? It's not trying to hurt you, is it?" I decided that instead of waking up screaming, I was going to stay in the dream to see what it wanted.

As soon as I came to that conclusion, the door flew open and the rabbit stuck his head in and as I stifled a scream, it paused for a moment then cheerfully inquired, "Would you like to play?" I smiled and let out a giant sigh of relief and woke up happily for the first time ever after having had that dream. What a relief that was. I felt reborn. That was the last time I had the dream and the last time I really thought about it until a couple years ago. I remembered the dream when Renee said something like, "Why is it that rabbits and clowns are so dang freaky?" As she said that, the dream came flooding back to me like a tidal wave and we talked about it that afternoon.. I realize now that this was my first lesson on facing my fears.

Last year at Burning Man, as some friends and I were walking across the playa, I stopped to get something out of my back pack and when I turned around, this giant rabbit was standing right in front of me. WOOoo! did it give me a start! Scared me right out of my skin for a second there. flashbacks and memories of that dream began to race around my mind. then I remembered how it all turned out in the end. I embraced the rabbit and after telling him my story thanked him for showing me how to let go of my fear.