When I’m asked how I’m doing, it’s almost a guarantee that “busy” will come out of my mouth at some point. Even when there is no reason to rush, that is exactly what I do. I think I was born with my button stuck on fast forward. I walk fast, eat fast, can’t watch TV without doing something else…you get the idea. During the course of this frantic pace, I started to lose track of things. My children know that unless they write it down, I will never remember. I call myself and leave messages on the answering machine. I email myself all the time.
One day I ran across an article that said it is horrible that adults don’t take the time to daydream every day. My first thought was, “Daydream? Who has time for that? Besides how could I sit still that long and do nothing?” As I continued the article, it started to make sense and actually started sounding like a pretty good idea. I decided to test it out.
It didn’t take me long to get the hang of it. Set the timer, stare at a fixed point, and let my wander wherever it chose. I’ve dreamed about a myriad of things like sitting by a river in Colorado, our upcoming cruise, and vacation places I would like to visit. I couldn’t believe how relaxed I felt at the end of those 15 minutes. My experience completely supported what the article said. I got a huge surprise out of the deal too. I started remembering things. Not long lost memories or anything like that. No, I was remembering appointments that I needed to write down, things I needed to pick up at the store, things I needed to send to school with my children, bits and pieces of things I never would have remembered had I not slowed down and taken a moment to let my mind just relax. Now I’ve learned to keep a piece of paper and a pen with me so I can jot things down and continue my daydreaming without worrying about what I have to remember.
So here’s a challenge to you. Take 10 or 15 minutes today and just daydream.
