I notice a large gray ship in the river with a workman walking around on it. Suddenly, the ship starts diving down like a submarine. I don’t know if the man got to safety, but I assume he did. Then a large mansion begins rising out of the clear water at the same pace as the ship was sinking. I wonder how the house is so dry and perfect after being in all that water.

–Nikole, 33, Memphis, TN

Lauri: Ships in dreams most often refer to relationships. Have you recently let a relationship sink? And if so, the concern you had for the man on the ship suggests you did this out of concern for your own emotional safety. The house represents you, your ideal self. The fact that it is rising out of clear water suggests your ideal self is beginning to emerge and that you are very “clear” when it comes to your emotional decisions. The ship sinking at the same time the house is rising seems to indicate you are putting more focus on you and less on relationships right now.

Nikole replies: This makes all the sense in the world. I met a guy that was interested in finding a wife, but we never made it to the first date because he threw a tantrum when I didn’t respond to an e-mail fast enough. I let him down gently but walked away quickly. I said to myself after that last guy that I was going to focus more on me and not even try a new relationship right now.