What If Nemo Was Never Missing?

*Originally written in 2016 during a late-night brain spiral

'Hypnagogia' is the experience of the transitional state from wakefulness to sleep. A dreamy, drifting space Edgar Allan Poe called 'the fancies.'

He said, and I quote: "I experience this only when I am on the brink of sleep, with the consciousness that I am so.”

Same here, Ed. Same here.

One night, while swimming around in my own hypnagogic thoughts, I thought of the film, Finding Nemo.

And I asked myself:

What if Finding Nemo wasn’t actually real?

I know. Yes, it is an animated film. But stick with me.

What if it isn’t just a film, but a clever allegory of our state of being? A metaphor for our consciousness? What if... that ocean is actually our brain?

Let’s break it down.

🧠 Nemo = Our Younger Self

Nemo is us. The version of ourselves from childhood before hormones, heartbreak, and tax returns.

Remember that time when puddles were exciting, mum picking you up from school made your whole day, and discovering a bug on the sidewalk felt like a National Geographic moment? That’s Nemo. Eager, and enthusiastic about life.

🦈 The Sharks, Jellyfish = Life’s Sting

Rejections. Bad dates. Family drama. A stranger’s cruelty. Jellyfish moments. The shock and sting of being alive. The kind of things that remind you you're not made of steel.

🐋 The Whale = The Lows

Those moments where you don’t quite drown, but you definitely sink. Deep. The whale is that moment when you hear your own thoughts echo because you're way down.

But also, like Marlin and Dory, you survive it. Barely. And maybe stronger.

🐠 Dory = Hopeful, Clueless, Faithful You

Dory is that part of us that keeps going. She’s the friend, the inner voice, the little irrational optimist we need. Not because she has the plan, but because she believes.

And belief matters.

🦷 The Dentist = The Box

Yes, you heard me. The dentist is... us.

We build our own tanks. Our job. Our house. Our routine. Our fear. We put ourselves behind glass and convince ourselves we’re safer that way. But deep down, we want out.

So we wait. Until we can’t. Until we snap. And then…

♫"I want to break free..." ♫

And while all this is going on, like Dory, we just keep swimming.

So yeah. Maybe Finding Nemo is about more than a lost fish. Maybe it’s about all of us; swimming, drifting, forgetting, remembering, daring, failing, hoping, and breaking free.

Yes, it all makes sense.

Don’t you think?

What if Nemo is us?

©TeeOye 2016