I dreamed last night that I was walking through a muddy and cluttered construction zone, full of heavy earth-moving machinery, while holding a baby.

The baby was old enough to talk, at least a little, and seemed to be very unhappy about being carried through such a big, scary place.

“Don’t drop me!” the baby said.

“I won’t,” I promised.

Just after that, I turned a corner around where several large construction vehicles were parked, and I found myself boxed into a narrow space with nowhere to go forward. I couldn’t do anything but back up, as carefully as I could manage. The baby started to cry. Then I woke up.

Looking at how to interpret this dream, one thing stands out: A baby and a construction zone both represent something new being created. Maybe I’ve been trying to do too much (as shown by the clutter) at once, and my subconscious mind is cautioning me not to lose my grip on what is most important. As for being in a place where I needed to back up, that probably means there’s something I need to quit doing—some aspect of my life where I need to reverse direction—because it’s not getting me anywhere useful.

Although it’s generally good to be open to new experiences, a reminder not to overdo it can be useful.