Dedicating eight hours to sleep each night means you spend about 1/3 of your life snoozing. It seems like a waste, until you have the dream that solves a problem or gives you a genius idea.

I’ve always been fascinated by dreams.  High school psychology taught me that writing down all your dreams aided in recall.  For the next two years, I wrote down every single dream I could remember.  Eventually I quit searching for pen and paper at 3:00 a.m. and no longer have to interpret my chicken scratch note in the morning.  However, I still have pretty good recall.

The other night I had a dream that I woke up on a tattoo bed. Getting a tattoo is the last thing I would ever want to do, which is why I found it odd that I just laid there waiting for the artist to finish.  When my tattoo was done, I was devastated to see it covered more than a quarter of my body.  The only good thing about that dream was waking up.

I’ve really had some crazy ones lately.  Last night, I was brought to the starting line of a marathon I was expected to run.  Another night I barely escaped the attack of a snapping turtle with a head the size of a softball. In my personal favorite, I was standing at the sidelines of a Steelers football game beside my favorite player, Troy Polamalu.

Most people don’t think much of these random stories our minds play out.  In fact, many people I’ve discussed the topic with claim that they either don’t dream, or don’t remember the dreams they have.  I can’t help but feel for these people.  To me, dreams are the most unusual, interesting form of entertainment your mind can naturally provide.

What I’ve been struggling with is whether they mean anything.  Does my date with my sister’s ex mean I’m about to betray her in some way?  Does my encounter with a huge fluffy dog mean I’m ready to take on the responsibility of a pet owner?  Why does my co-worker have a cell phone the size of a dictionary? What about the dreams where you look down and discover you’re naked, surrounded by water, or pregnant? How about the reoccurring dream that just doesn’t leave your conscience?

Basically your mind puts together your emotions, thoughts, ideas, actions in your short-term memory. A visual screenplay is formed, which brings on the dream. During certain cycles of brain activity, we view these dreams with our conscious mind and record them in our memory, which is why we occasionally remember them.

Everybody dreams. Despite your lack of memory for what crazy things happened in your dreams last night, you can be assured that something happened. We dream an average of one or two hours every night, which is enough time to fit in four to seven plots per night.

Although some interpretations seem a bit far-fetched, it is still interesting to read about what your dreams may symbolize. For example, getting chased or attacked may represent your way of coping with fears or stress.  The infamous falling dreams indicate insecurity, instability, and anxiety.  Being naked is a sign that you may be hiding something and are afraid of others finding out. Water symbolizes feelings and emotions.

So maybe this is where the concept of "sleeping on it" came from.  Next time you have a situation on your hands that you can’t figure out, dream on.

Shootin’ the Wit is a weekly column about everyday life that should never, ever be taken seriously.

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I’m a writer and photographer who loves old cars, big dogs and trying stuff for the first time. I believe everyone should have a bucket list because life isn’t about working, paying bills and having the latest and greatest. It’s about experiences. Achieving goals. People. Adventures. Travel.

I’ve never dyed my hair, broken a bone, or watched a Star Wars movie, and I don’t plan on doing any of these.