I was recruited to serve on a secret task force within the Central Intelligence Agency. I was asked to join before I knew exactly what I was agreeing to, but I did so anyway. All I knew was that I would have to quit my job with the State of Florida. No problem, or so I thought. I was immediately whisked away to an office building. There was a comfortable looking couch inside and I was told to lie down and get some sleep. For reasons unknown I didn’t, but that was just as well. Within minutes the rest of the team assembled and a person of authority stepped forward. He told us that we would be trained to go without sleep. He told us we would learn the ancient Chinese secret to breathing under water. He demonstrated these skills by having an assistant open up a fire hose in his face. The muscles in his neck tensed as the roaring stream of water hit his face and went everywhere. Even in a dream, this seemed like an odd way to demonstrate breathing under water. The hose was shut off and he asked who would like go next. I decided I had made a mistake, but I was told that few people survived resignation from “the company.”

“I still work for the state, I still work for the state,.”

It was really dark in the room. The only thing visible was a glowing set of numbers which read: 1:44 a.m.

What? You’ve never had a dream where you are recruited to work as a spy, been offered training for something that is physically impossible, and later wished you still had your job in state government? Why isn’t the gold standard good enough for me? Why aren’t I dreaming about roaming the school halls in my skivvies, late for the final exams that I haven’t studied for?