As Aretha says, “Think. Let your mind go. Let yourself be free.”
What do you daydream about? Is this question becoming as obsolete as, “What is your home telephone number?” Both daydreams and home telephones are going by the wayside as technology advances. Now, we walk around with everything from personal music playlists, our favorite electronic games and access to all the information available on the Internet in our palms at all times.
While the demise of the home phone doesn’t trouble me except for the fact that I can’t look up numbers in the phone book, the demise of the daydream troubles me deeply. How are daydreams and advancing technology related? We are always plugged in. Our minds don’t have any time to rest and be unstimulated by outside sources.
But what about the things your inside sources want to tell you? When I’ve handled a situation poorly, I daydream about how I will do things differently the next time. It’s called learning from my mistakes☺. Somehow knowing I’ll do it differently in the future frees me from the standard of perfection. Or maybe it’s knowing that I’ll mess up again and life will still be OK. When something goes well, embarrassingly I’ll admit, I replay it in my mind and all those positive feelings fill me up. I want those feelings again, so I am motivated to participate in opportunities like the ones I dreamed about. String enough of those experiences along, and you are living one fulfilled life.
Lately I’ve even started something new, allowing my mind to rest from thinking. I’ll describe my procedure at the risk of sounding like your weird Aunt Edna. But this is a risk I’m willing to take to pay it forward.
Find a place. When no one is home, it is my couch in the family room Sometimes it is my bathtub. The significant thing about the place is that it is comfortable. Now close your eyes and actually try to relax the muscle that is your brain. Think of where one end of your brain would be and try to focus on relaxing that area. Then move to each side, relaxing as you go. Relax the center of your brain. If you continue trying this, I promise you will all of a sudden feel what it feels like for your brain to be relaxed; you will want to feel this again. The next time you try, you will get there more quickly. Now, sit in that for a few minutes and then allow your brain to think about anything it wants. Allow it to have it’s own agenda. I can’t wait for you to experience this. Don’t have a journal sitting there. Just think.
Now, I’ll admit that coming from a Christian who believes that the Spirit of God lives in her, I believe that what I am hearing is the voice of God. Sometimes I am comforted. Sometimes I realize that there is something I need to take care of. Sometimes I receive words that I think are for the encouragement of someone else. I’m doing this daily now, or at least trying to. Don’t want to miss it. Don’t want you to.
So, put away your phone. Unplug in a focused way for a few minutes a day. Think of a way to adapt this for your children and teach them to listen to their souls. I’ll admit that this comes from someone who still has a home phone that people call all the time to find out what I think about things, and I usually know.
Try it and then comment on this blog to let me know what you think. If you think I’m on to something, and you want more ideas check out our book, Unwritten Travels, and read the Soul Searching Chapter. I more than think you’ll love it.
