[The Universal Call]

Hi confu. What I see is the problem (albeit I'm no expert in this area) is not that you had an ""almost" a lucid dream" but "an 'almost' lucid dream", from our perspectives they resemble the same thing but they have a difference. This may confu(se) you (sorry for the bad pun) but I will do you the honor and elucidate:
There are different types of lucid dreams, there are lower conscious lucid dreams and there are higher conscious lucid dreams, to disappointment and grief the former tends to manifest itself sometimes.

Low conscious LD: You realize you are dreaming, but do practically nothing to change it. Example scenario: Yes, I'm dreaming, awesome! Now, what should I do? *character thinks* Umm, well, I could always try and OBE from here, swell. But... No, I rather do this thing.
I've had this scenario happen for myself actually, this is a low conscious dream. You know you are dreaming but you don't do nothing about it! It's almost like the dream was programmed to have you "go lucid", yet you're not, and so you don't do anything about your lucidity. Your case almost sounds a bit like it in that; you know you are lucid yet you can't or (since your lucidity is just part of the nonlucid dream>) don't do anything about.

In low conscious LDs one might interact and do certain things which would imply that they were truly lucid, but in fact their actions also speak against them.

To give you something more:
High conscious lucid dreams: You know you are dreaming, you know that you can manipulate everything in your surroundings and you act accordingly, your interaction with other people suggests that you're well aware that you are dreaming and your action/interaction within the dream works accordingly: You are truly you - in this dream, nothing implies it is preprogrammed.

As I have mentioned, I am no expert in the field (Erin might come any minute now and give me a whack in the head), but I think this is how it is. A good example when one is highly conscious in an LD is when you, the character, reflects upon how the real you are right now: in your bed: sleeping: dreaming this very instant and that you are NOW in that dream. As I have experienced with my low conscious LDs is that I rarely reflect upon this but merely go with the flow of the dream, a sign that I'm not 'really really' lucid, but merely... "lucid".

This is not saying however that you can not think you are lucid but not be truly lucid unless you follow the formula of being in the "highly lucid state", no no no! Even low lucidity is still lucidity, but you are in much greater control the more lucid you are. I have myself been lucid many various times but haven't been able to control the dream in the direction I wanted it too.

Now, if your only problem was that you couldn't master your dream (even though you were TRULY LUCID) then I would follow with Andy's advice. Although it is well known that you can literally do anything in a dream if you just strongly think about it, it can be tricky sometimes. Agreed.