Daydream & Imagine

Oh, hello, there.

What. Is. Up.

Yesterday I was doing some work, and started stressing about what I was going to write this week. My brain has not felt creative, or inspired, or particularly thoughtful, over the past few days.

I realized last night that, overwhelmed by a desire to stay up-to-date on the news, to try and figure out how to save the world and not get covid and make sure every vote counts, etc, etc

I've forgotten to give myself a little space for daydreaming.

Okay. I realize that sounds suuuuper spacey and like - there are more important things than daydreaming right now, right?!?

Except. Maybe not.

When our brains are overloaded with fight/flight/freeze, which essentially is how we've been living every moment since March 2020, all of our brain power goes to survival,

and - here's the daydreaming part - we might miss out on the most creative solutions to our problems.

We see the immediate problem in front of us and fix it, because that's where we see the urgency. But without the space for creativity and intuition, we might miss something bigger.

AND ALSO.

Not every thought we have, every moment of every day, has to work toward solving a problem. It's okay sometimes to just think about how shadows look, or how cool it would be to float in zero gravity, or what is the wildest flavor of ice cream you could ever invent.

Because it's fun.

I also tend to 'daydream' in advance of situations that I'm worried about, playing through possible variations and outcomes, which helps me better organize my thoughts when I need them organized.

Hang on. First, a story:

My third grade teacher was, truly, the worst. I don't know what sad and horrible things had happened to her, to steal all of her joy, but she stole the joy of her students in return. She condescended, punished, ignored parent/principal/guidance counselor recommendations for student after student. AND she boldly declared to our class that year that 'obviously Santa Claus doesn't exist and you're too old to believe in magic.'

GASP.

Apparently most kids already knew this truth, but I was a dreamed and a believeer, and she broke my heart. Shoutout to my mom, who is a wonder, for boldly going to the principal about this incident, standing up for dreamers everywhere.

Side note: this teacher also punished me any time I would stare out a window, marked me down for misspelling words that I had not misspelled, didn't like music or art, and one day when I felt sick and she told me I was faking, I ended up vomiting on and in her shoes and honestly I regret nothing.

It took me a long time to let myself daydream again.

To believe in some kind of magic.

Our society pushes us so hard into productivity, we're encouraged to never just BE.

Exist.

Have feelings. Get nothing done.

Even googling "daydreaming" will give you a whole list of studies on how daydreaming can increase productivity, memory in the midst of distractions, and on and one.

MAYBE ITS JUST FUN?!?

Okay, sure, and maybe, it is an activity that (sometimes) has a purpose.

That opens us up to infinite possibility.

To the unexpected.

To innovation, imagination, intuition.

Creativity.

Delight.

Maybe you could make time this week for daydreaming.

It can look like so many things.

Maybe it looks like meditation, but rather than some intention to clear your mind, you simply follow your thoughts wherever they go.

Maybe it looks like a long bath with no phone/computer/book.

Maybe it looks like lounging on a chaise in silk pajamas and gazing wistfully through a foggy window.

WHATEVER.

Whatever you could do to make it feel special.

Let yourself feel limitless.

Let yourself imagine.

Let yourself believe in something.

Maybe that somethig is you.

And the magic in your life still to come.

I believe in it. I believe in you.

I believe you - YES YOU - are magic