“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost

Friday, January 18, 2013

Magical Thinking



My mother used to tell me to “get out of your dream world” and clean your room, dust, practice the piano, hoe the garden etc. I usually obliged and did the mundane and boring task she had requested of me. Even when I was doing those things (especially dusting), my mind would revert back into that dream world I had concocted.  










When I was really young (around 5), I was a singer. We lived close to a very small town.  I sang at church, community events and anywhere somebody needed free entertainment and a cute kid.  Sometimes I sang alone, other times with a couple of other kids. I imitated singers of that time period; I imagined that someday I would be a successful singer on a stage somewhere. When I got a little older and more self-aware and experienced stage fright for the first time, I realized that becoming a famous star was not going to happen. My first dream shattered. 












I recovered; I was a virtual Walter Mitty. There I was, riding my imaginary horse and galloping through the imaginary fields (ages 8-13; horse obsession). I think I used my imagination a lot when I was a child; I did live in the country miles away from other kids after all. I never had an imaginary friend or anything like that, but I always found new and fun things to do. We had hundreds of acres of land to explore and I would go off into the trees and observe the birds and other animals. I loved to see what the farm animals were doing. The farm cats and dogs sometimes accompanied me, but often I was on my own. I imagined all sorts of crazy things. Witches in the grove of trees near our house... there was a huge black cauldron out there! I read a lot as a kid and I think that helped to fuel my imagination. Ursala Le Guin was a favorite author of mine.





Source: cuded.com via CraveCute on Pinterest



Of course from age 13 my horse obsession turned into a variety of obsessions that changed throughout the years! Back in my young adult years, when I was working two jobs and going to school, I don’t think I had the time or energy for my imagination. If I had any free time, I was sleeping!









Now that I’m older, I still find myself day-dreaming now and then. 
Often just a picture or a fragrance can send my mind off to another time and place. 
Perhaps it’s a memory or an imagination of what might have been or what could be.


26 comments:

  1. What a beautiful, MAGICAL post! I'm in my 40s and I still daydream. It doesn't cost anything and I go on a lot of amazing journeys.

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    1. Well I'm a little older than you Martha, but I think I day dream more now than ever!

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  2. Such incredibly beautiful images :) Like Martha, I am a bit of a dreamer, especially when I am listening to 70's music. Quite often, I find myself visiting the streets of my old hometown in vivid detail like it was only yesterday.

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    1. I think you are in good company with all us dreamers here!

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  3. I don't think I could get through life without my imagination. I love day dreaming and fantasising in a fun way simply to amuse myself. Unfortunately this can also makes me burst out laughing at the most inappropriate times! I think having a good imagination is a great way to get through the boring and mundane aspects of our lives.

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  4. Imagination sure is better when you're younger.

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    1. Yes, but you will get it back as you get older.

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  5. I always marvel myself how adulthood can kill what we then spend our whole lives trying to get back...

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  6. Dreams are one of the things that keep us going so keep on dreaming and doing what you're doing ... these images are great!
    Blessings!
    Geneva

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  7. What a super beautiful post and intriguing read..thankyou for sharing your adventures of mind ,heart and spirit..so heart-touching and beautiful..and such gorgeous images alongside..totally blissful! I have never let go of my imagination..and i never will..i think it is a permanent resident within.. ha ha. I remember being a child..and comments about "my imagination" made me realise others thought it was a separate place from us..when for me..it was just part of me..a natural part of us...and as real as anything! I think it is the magical ingredient to all things..and we must never let it go.
    Hugs..beautiful stories you shared!
    i loved every minute of it!
    Victoria

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    1. I agree with you completely about this, I always thought everyone had imaginations like mine (and yours), but over time I came to realize that they didn't! I am not sure if this is something that can be learned or not.

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  8. Thank you for sharing your magical dream world -- never lose touch with it! Like Martha, I'm in my 40s and still daydream; I'm blessed to have kids that encourage it!

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  9. When we're kids, we're so un-self-conscious, aren't we? And then we get older, feel the sting of judgment or criticism, and all of a sudden we get stage fright and can't sing in public any more. That sucks.

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    1. That's life...thus the daydreaming continues...

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  10. Dear Diane - this is such a lovely post. I am sure you took each and everyone of us back to our childhood daydreams. I too still like to endulge a bit. Really identified with you working two jobs and going to school - so did I. Perhaps that is when some of my daydreaming took a backseat too. These are lovely pictures and I am going to check out Ursula - she looks pretty interesting - especially her poems. Bless you my friend for bringing back the joys of being young again.

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  11. Keep dreaming my friend!! I day dream and night dream all the time! It's what keeps us young at heart and keeps us believing in magic ;o) Beautiful images!!! Maybe you should start singing again? It's never too late ;o) Big Hugs ;o)

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  12. Thanks Debbie and Stacy! Oh and I do still sing, just not to an audience!

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  13. As a child, my imagination ran rampant, including the imaginary friend who was with me everywhere. I remember making up stories to put myself to sleep -- too bad I didn't write them down! Love the beautiful images you chose.

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  14. Hi Diane, you and I had a very similar upbringing except that all my singing was done in the fields where only the birds could hear me! I did practice in my bedroom occasionally but not if there was anyone in earshot. We had horses on the farm where I grew up, but I was never a very good horsewoman. I did, however, love the cows and chickens and spent many a happy hour just wandering around the farm and through the woods. I used to daydream about being the next Enid Blyton! I scribbled down lots of ‘adventure’ stories, but my mum had the very good sense to throw them all out when I left home.
    I loved this post, keep dreaming!

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  15. Hi Diane, these are gorgeous images! I think that's the reason why I'm an artist, so that I can escape into my imagination. I also relate to 'the mundane chores' that you spoke of, I get my best ideas when I'm hoovering or cleaning. Doesn't make it any more inviting to do though! ;)
    Jess x

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  16. I'm a dreamer at heart, and fantasizing while I'm sitting on the train helps me pass the time. In fact, I prefer doing that over hovering over my electronic device the way everyone else does. Is there really a difference though? Both remove us from reality....except daydreaming can be done with eyes closed.

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  17. Lovely images and please stay in your dream world!

    My Mum is fairy obsessed!

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