notice your daydreams.

via wit + delight.

Something that I read on a blog this week really stuck with me.  A woman was writing about daydreaming- why and when we slip into daydreams, what they represent for us, and the bad reputation they've earned at times, despite their amazing creative and meditative qualities.  We all engage in daydreaming; I'd venture to say it's a daily occurrence for most.  Bus rides, car rides, while cooking dinner, laying in bed before sleep.  Yet there seems to be this negative stigma attached, because daydreaming is replacing 'more productive' activities.

Putting the whole productivity discussion aside though, what resonated with me most is when this blogger wrote about giving yourself permission to notice your daydreams.  Look for patterns, reoccurring themes, highlights.  Where does your mind go when it wanders?

Does it travel somewhere, to a far off location you've once been to or dream of visiting?  The warm waters surrounding the Rock Islands in Palau.  Boating home from a day on the water, deliciously tired and content after a day spent in the sun.  Winding country road drives with friends, windows down, hair blowing every which way, singing along to the radio.  Imagining what Paris feels like right now.  The petite cobblestone streets, bustling metro stations, parisians reading le monde and drinking espresso.


Do you daydream about your job, or perhaps what you wish to be doing instead?  I'm a painter in a quiet white room with a canvas in front of me.  I imagine sitting on a stool, hair tied up in a bun, looking out the window and imagining what to paint.  Or I'm a writer, a knit cowl scarf wrapped around my neck, sitting on a hard wooden bench by a window in a corner cafe.  Pencil in hand, scribbling playful words.  


Do you daydream about completely mundane things?
The mom and her daughter that I see on my morning walk to the metro, waiting at the corner for the school bus. The girls hair, when not covered up with a fleece hat, is braided close to her head like her mom's.  Sometimes they hold hands, sometimes she leans against her mom.  I daydream about what the little girl ate for breakfast.  Cereal with milk?  Toast with peanut butter and honey?  

On the other side of the street, there's always a guy standing waiting for a ride- he has long unruly blond hair and it always listening to something on his portable cd player through his headphones.  Some mornings he's even singing along, quite loudly.  I daydream about what he's listening to.  What his friends are like.  Where he's going every morning.  

What life was like.  What it could be like.  What it will be like.  What I have done.  What I should have done.  What's next.

Do you notice your daydreams?  What could they be saying to you?  Would you listen to them?

xo

ps.  the blog that sparked this thought process was dress with courage.