Write. My purpose and intent of starting a blog was simply to do that. Write. Yet, in the confines of my daily life, that’s the activity that often gets edged out competing against work, working out, eating, sleeping, and the myriad of must-do, life-maintenance tasks. Today, however, I find myself vacationing, with a few hours not requiring attention to any of the above, and I face a cumbersome affair trying to nudge the cursor down the page in free thought… I think this is what’s referred to as not being able to relax.
Somehow I’ve learned to do this- to adhere to the administrative compulsories of life- and to forfeit the space that used to be devoted to daydreaming, wondering, reflecting, exploring creative thought and impulse. This stalwart compliance is a skill I must unlearn.
Not to say I’m going to stop paying bills and let the lawn consume the house, but I think that space to think, to wonder, to dream, is requisite to the soul. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me to wake up every morning and plow through the day without considering what I’m plowing towards…or why… or even what it is I’m plowing through… Without that space to reflect though, those are questions that seldom get raised, much less answered. That leaves a pretty narrow margin for vision, on both large and small scales.
In the big scheme of things, purpose and goals are great things to have. For me personally, they have instilled hope and inspiration into my thoughts and aims in life, yet on the other end of the spectrum I’m equally inspired and compelled by the small things that often get taken for granted or overlooked. Something as simple as watching the wind blow through the trees, and wondering how those trees came to be and where that wind originated from, fascinates me.
I’m not proposing we all become tree huggers and new age hippies, but retaining a little bit of that childlike wonder can’t be a bad thing for the world. I have this theory that if every adult would go and swing on a swing set once a month, the world would be a happier place. It’s hard to take yourself or life too seriously when you’re staring at the sky, the wind blowing across your face, and playing like you did when you were a kid. Next time you want to yell at your boss, have road rage, or are teetering on the brink of going postal, try it. Go find a swing set and see how you feel after 15 minutes. I have this curious image in my head of world leaders coming together on a giant playground instead of suits, ties, and conference rooms... but politics are a subject for another entry. Today, I just wanted to loosen the reins on my brain a little bit, take a deep breath, and think.
Ahhhh….
