Our night time dreams are like late TV movies. We can enjoy the fantasies and happy adventures before returning to our humdrum world in the morning, but too often these out-of-control productions are bewildering, depressing or horrifying.
On the other hand, we’re in complete control of our daydreams as the producers, directors, screen writers and leading actors. We’re also in charge of casting.
Think twice before putting a restraining leash on your daydreams. Some of the greatest inventions and artistic accomplishments are the products of daydreamers who saw what their present world needed to make the future world better.
On another level, daydreams can be the mental martinis that help one survive unpleasant episodes like crushingly boring business meetings , the scoldings of bosses and the lectures of traffic policemen.
Some psychologists claim each of us spends almost half our waking hours away from the real world, floating outside our mental escape hatches like space walking astronauts. It’s easy to recognize your fellow Cloud 9 visitors by their blank stares, faint smiles and occasional chuckles.
Everyone’s mind wanders. When Saint Francis of Assisi admitted to a young friar that he had difficulty concentrating on his prayers, the friar boasted he didn’t have that problem. The good saint said, “If you can recite the Lord’s Prayer entirely without thinking of anything else, I’ll give you that little donkey of mine that you’ve always admired.”
The friar agreed and began, “Our Father who art in heaven…..” Then he paused, turned to Francis and asked, “Do I get the saddle also?”
In the same vein, a male liars club membership test included a meditation session during which the candidate had to stand in the corner of a quiet room, staring at the wall for a half hour and not think of Marilyn Monroe in a bathing suit. (Keep reading you guys!). There were two repeated reminders of the rule during the half hour. If the candidate later swore he’d never once thought of “what’s-her-name”, he was accepted as a member.
Imagine That 