I am a daydreamer. It's a hobby. But it's not always a hobby which I am proud to claim. Sometimes daydreaming can be self-destructive. Journaling as part of daydreaming can be an evil activity because it promotes selfish thoughts. I suppose some people may have heroic or benevolent daydreams, but I am definitely not that kind of person. All of my daydreams are very, very selfish.
Daydreaming is sort of like thinking, except that the thoughts are put into stories with plots. By putting all of the thoughts into a manageable structure, it becomes easier to understand the causes and consequences of what is going on in reality. Our brains need to creatively vent, escape realistic pressures, confront fears in a structured environment, and bring us unrealistic joy. Just a few days a ago I dreamt that I was suffocating because I had some sort of lung disease that was killing me. Tonight I was daydreaming of working on a ranch out in Colorado or as a waitress at a restaurant near a nature park in Utah. Last night in my sleep I had a real dream that I had just acquired an adorable, loving little kitten. It seems to me that daydreams and sleep-dreams serve the same purposes.
I feel like daydreaming was probably a much better sport in the days before television, magazines, and even mass produced books. But, I bet my ancient ancestors (that sounds weird to say because I've never thought about my ancestors going back further than my great-grandparents) daydreamed about similar things as I do, even considering the significant cultural differences.
When I'm anxious about my life, I daydream of activities that are far from the reality of what I must do. This is why, on the eve of my departure to Germany, I am currently thinking about unavoidable death and jobs I could pursue. There was a period in my life when I was daydreaming terrible things all of the time, and that was no good. I had to run away from my scared self and get some confidence, which I did. So now when I am anxious and scared, I try to avoid daydreaming and instead make plans for how I can succeed. When I get really scared, then I reassure myself that if I make a mistake I can always push on, even if it is a different activity that I must start anew.
My one dream that hangs over my thoughts whenever I hold a camera, watch t.v., read paper advertisements, or see billboards is this: if I were to be granted a wish, such as by the Make-a-Wish Foundation, I would want to grace an advertisement with the presence of myself. Ever since I was a small child when I began flipping through the big JCPenny's catalog have I wanted to be a clothing model. I know I could never do it well and I will never pursue it, but it's just one of those things that you have to hold on to in order to keep insane. Yes, I said insane. Life requires way too much sanity from the brain, so it's important to have a few constant things that keep the brain crazy and dreaming.
Daydreaming is sort of like thinking, except that the thoughts are put into stories with plots. By putting all of the thoughts into a manageable structure, it becomes easier to understand the causes and consequences of what is going on in reality. Our brains need to creatively vent, escape realistic pressures, confront fears in a structured environment, and bring us unrealistic joy. Just a few days a ago I dreamt that I was suffocating because I had some sort of lung disease that was killing me. Tonight I was daydreaming of working on a ranch out in Colorado or as a waitress at a restaurant near a nature park in Utah. Last night in my sleep I had a real dream that I had just acquired an adorable, loving little kitten. It seems to me that daydreams and sleep-dreams serve the same purposes.
I feel like daydreaming was probably a much better sport in the days before television, magazines, and even mass produced books. But, I bet my ancient ancestors (that sounds weird to say because I've never thought about my ancestors going back further than my great-grandparents) daydreamed about similar things as I do, even considering the significant cultural differences.
When I'm anxious about my life, I daydream of activities that are far from the reality of what I must do. This is why, on the eve of my departure to Germany, I am currently thinking about unavoidable death and jobs I could pursue. There was a period in my life when I was daydreaming terrible things all of the time, and that was no good. I had to run away from my scared self and get some confidence, which I did. So now when I am anxious and scared, I try to avoid daydreaming and instead make plans for how I can succeed. When I get really scared, then I reassure myself that if I make a mistake I can always push on, even if it is a different activity that I must start anew.
My one dream that hangs over my thoughts whenever I hold a camera, watch t.v., read paper advertisements, or see billboards is this: if I were to be granted a wish, such as by the Make-a-Wish Foundation, I would want to grace an advertisement with the presence of myself. Ever since I was a small child when I began flipping through the big JCPenny's catalog have I wanted to be a clothing model. I know I could never do it well and I will never pursue it, but it's just one of those things that you have to hold on to in order to keep insane. Yes, I said insane. Life requires way too much sanity from the brain, so it's important to have a few constant things that keep the brain crazy and dreaming.
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