Day Dreaming

Day dreaming is one of my favorite past times, not just because I work mostly by myself during the day (OK, so that may be part of it), but because I enjoy letting my mind wander, create scenarios that could or could not happen, and play them out in my mind to the end.  The content of my day dreams varies depending on where I am, what I am doing, and what is currently going on in my life.  I used to go a little bonkers in my day dreams when I was younger, imagining worst case scenarios as I was driving or hiking.  There are still some that I remember quite vividly even a decade after I dreamed those dreams.  I would be driving on the highway, next to an 18 wheeler when my mind would start wandering.  In my dream, I imaginged what would happen if either I made a quick sharp turn of the wheel into the truck or the truck turned into my lane abruptly leaving me no where to go.  I would see the car and truck colliding, this horrific accident playing out in my mind, yet it never resulted in my death.  I could never see myself dying in one of those day dreams.  Come to think about it, I never really could see myself dying.  I have had day dreams about what it would be like if I did die, but I could never picture myself there.  I used to imagine the effect it had on other people, mostly my family, and what it would be like after I was gone.  I could always picture things more vividly before my death than afterwards and perhaps that was a good thing.  I don't mean to get all depressing on you this morning, those are just some of the day dreams I remember from my time as a teenager, those years when your brain is in a constant state of flux and you never know if you are coming or going.  In any case, I don't really have those depressing, horrific dreams anymore.  In all cases though, even back when I was younger, a general theme of my dreams would be imagining my life down the road, different outcomes depending on choices that I would make and how they might play out in real life.  Almost all of them played out in my favor.  How could they not as I was dreaming of my own life and naturally would provide the best possible outcome.  Reality, regardless of the course I actually went down in life was most times drastically different than my dreams would portray.  There are always two options when confronted with a difference between dreams and reality: get upset that it didn't pan out as imagined, or re-dream a new outcome and work towards that. 

 

I can see some people getting upset that reality didn't pan out the way they imagined it to.  I can also see those people getting paralyzed in the sense that they can't move forward, can't re-imagine their lives and what they could be like.  For me, day dreams keep me moving.  I get engrossed in them sometimes, even just simple ones of imagining how I will build a pavilion in Vermont.  (This is an actual day dream that has been occurring quite frequently as I will be starting to build that pavilion next weekend).  I always start off with the most complicated, coolest design possible.  I think about it, envision it in my mind, and dream about how I will actually execute it.  The pavilion in Vermont for example, originally started off perched really close to the side of the hill overlooking our stream.  It was quite large with a cantilevered deck extending out from underneath over the hill so you could get a really good view of the stream and feel like you were floating.  I knew how I would build it, the plans slowly coming together in my mind, the supports I would need, how best to efficiently build it, and then the cost came into play and the amount of time it would actually take me.  I can still see that pavilion and deck in my mind, but it has changed drastically.  Now, with supports actually in the ground, my mind is constantly dreaming about how I will build it next weekend.  I was originally going to build it post and beam style, notching out the posts and supports so that everything fit in nicely and was structurally able to support more than I wanted it to.  And then the whole time issue came into my mind again.  How was I going to be able to get it done in a timely manner in one weekend.  The answer was not post and beam style.  I will have to forego all the notching out of the supports and beams and just rely on the hardware, nuts and bolts to carry the load (which they will) and provide an nice shelter.  Its funny, once I have settled on how I will do something, my mind goes to the all the frills that I could add on to make it just that much cooler.  In the case of the pavilion, one such add on that I am thinking of is a gutter that leads to a cool little downspout that either has little water wheels attached that would spin as the water flows down or a sort of wind chime that is hit when the water flows as it rains.  In either case, it wouldn't happen right away, but would probably get added on at a later date and time. 

One other add on that I have day dreamed about with the pavilion is swinging panels that can be raised to extend the length of the pavilion and shut when it is raining to prevent any rain from getting in.  I haven't quite dreamed up a way of working this out yet, but trust me, there is plenty of dreaming left to do.  Its not just pavilions and accidents I dream about, but everything in my life from my son, to my job, to my family, to traveling.  There is no end to what I will day dream about.  I personally don't think it is senseless as some people do, but use it as a way of keeping my mind active and my imagination versatile.  I never let it consume my life, but use it during times at work when the repetitive nature of the work lends itself to letting my mind wander.  Perhaps that is part of why I enjoy the work that I do, because I get to day dream a lot and come up with new and wonderful ways of making things work, how I can improve my life, or simply what tomorrow might bring.  Day dreaming also allows me to play out different scenarios before they happen in a multitude of different ways so that I am more prepared for when things transpire.  Day dreaming can take me back to those days as a child when I used to play outside, or take me into the future.  My day dreams are built on memories and knowledge, and the rest gets made up.  At least for me, I can firmly say that I will always be a day dreamer.   I recommend a healthy does of day dreaming for everyone.  While a brief departure from the reality at hand, I find it is also a good practice for keeping your mind in shape, for keeping your imagination alive and growing, and to never let reality get the best of us.  At least that is my take on it.  What are your thoughts on day dreaming?  Is it worthwhile or just a meaningless past time that consumes too much of people's time?