I dreamed I was in a bedroom cleaning a pile of dead rats with a shovel! Parts of the rats were falling onto a comforter on the floor. -Mary Ann, 69, Chicago

Lauri: First of all ... Ew!! Now, on to your dream. The dead rats represent something in your life that is now over and done with. Most likely it was something that had been gnawing away at you and pestering you quite a bit due to the amount of rats in the dream or it is many pestering issues. This takes place in the bedroom because you are now able to put this issue to rest. I believe the rats are falling apart as you shovel them because—perhaps—the issue this is connected to has fallen apart or a relationship this is connected to has fallen apart. I think the comforter is there because your dreaming mind wants you to take comfort that this is all over now.

Mary Ann replies: I have been working on a number of past financial decisions I have been regretting and feel I have made progress with a few of them. As you can tell by my age I am nearing retirement and my job was off-shored about four years ago—so savings are not what I planned—we had just bought a new place before the bubble burst and places like ours are selling for $50,000 to $75,000 less than we purchased at, if we could sell. My husband worked in nonprofit for years without a pension or retirement savings. No amount of worry helps me now. This makes sense in that I feel the dream is saying they are done with, let them rest. However, without your help I would not have been able to figure that out from the dream.