The Tall Coworker on the Night Shift

In the dream, I met a tall coworker who often worked the night shift.

The Dream

In the dream, I occasionally worked the night shift. Leaving work before dawn required walking through a long, dark corridor shaped like an L. It was terrifying, and I could only get through it by constantly psyching myself up.

Then I met a tall coworker who also worked nights. Lacking technical skills, he mainly did it to earn money and worked way more shifts than me. But he is very positive, with a street-smart, slightly rogue energy. To brave that creepy corridor, he would livestream his walk, turning it into a fast paced parkour run. The experience stacked the thrill with the intense excitement of finally nearing the exit. I watched his streams and was completely fascinated.

Wanting to know him better, I joined a colleague barbecue and ran into him again. Unlike my lazy, overweight self, he was lean and muscular. I joked that his night shifts must prevent his food from digesting properly and turning into fat, which was why he stayed so thin. Talking further, I realized he excelled in everything except tech skills. He had a great mindset, a fit body, and a close relationship with his wife and kids. He was a truly dedicated family man working grueling night shifts to provide for them.

As I quietly comforted myself that my tech skills spared me from working for such hard earned money, my coworkers dropped a bombshell: the tall night shift guy was actually me. I angrily denied it. I had good tech skills; I would not choose to constantly grind night shifts for hard earned money. Plus, I could see him right there in the mirror.

During the argument, his head suddenly vanished while his body kept moving. Realizing I was having a psychological breakdown and he might actually be me, I panicked. If I accepted this reality, would he replace me as my primary self? I did not want to become someone with no tech skills who only relied on hard labor. But I coveted his fit body and close family ties. I told myself that he is me, and what he achieved is what I am capable of and have already done.

With that thought, his head reappeared. I tried to drop the fear that his personality would overwrite mine. With a bit of confidence but not too much, and carrying the thrill of a gamble, I accepted that he was me. Then, in the dream, he vanished. My tech skills remained, but his lean body became mine, and I felt his close connection with his family become mine too. It felt like a magical, thrilling sense of scoring a massive bargain. But suddenly, a faint voice reminded me: This is just a dream. Reality has not changed.

Waking Up

I woke up in bed, still a fat guy with a big belly. My family life is harmonious, but not as close as the bond the tall coworker persona had in the dream. I gently realized that the dream just projected my unfulfilled real life desires. Yet, its vivid, coherent logic felt precious, so I wrote this down immediately to preserve it.

Written on July 8, 2026, at 7:12 AM, while lying on bed using the Notes app on my iPhone 15 Pro Max.