Today I burned myself in the bath tub. I love a nice, steaming bath and as I adjusted the water for a blast of full throttle heat, I didn't realize my foot was perched under the running stream. I jerked it away with the realization I'd been daydreaming.
Incidences like this happen to me all the time. How I made it through school is beyond me. I was the scatterbrain who rushed into class as the tardy bell was ringing, hair askew, toilet tissue stuck to the bottom of her shoe, bumming notebook paper off the boy to the left and a pen off the girl to the right. Breathlessly settling into my seat, it took everything in me not to let my thoughts start wandering, most often to whichever boy was occupying my mind at the time.
Through the years, the written word has been such an ally in these mental dalliances. Whether the source is a book or the lyrics to a particular song I love, it's not unusual for me to use another writer's prose as my jumping off point. Diving into the role of the heroine has always felt so romantic, so warm and fuzzy. I dreamt of being Romeo's Juliet, although in my version we got to live and love a bit longer. Okay, a lot longer. Not as poignantly tragic, but in my daydreams I get to edit the script.
Lately, I read less than I'd like, but music is always there, serving as the backdrop to my daydreams. It can transport me to a moment in time I'd like to relive or an imaginary scene I could only hope to experience. All it takes is one line from a song and I am envisioning a dream that is movie montage worthy. Think carnivals, cotton candy, balloons and hair blowing in the wind. Or sunsets on the beach, waves crashing, linen dresses and sun kissed shoulders. You get the idea.
These tangents can strike at any given time, without warning. I can be completely focused and in the moment and before I know it, I'm propelled into la la land. More than once I've opened the kitchen cupboard only to find something on the shelf that doesn't belong, like the soy milk. With an admonishing shake of my head, I snap back to reality.
One such tangent occurred in New York City a few years ago. After a particularly benign, but supremely amazing experience the night before, one which I kept reliving in my mind, I mistakenly took the train to Brooklyn instead of uptown. Sadly, it took me several stops to realize I was headed the wrong way and consequently was an hour late for a lunch date. This remains a gaffe I can't live down. Anytime I'm with my friend in the city, she laughs about me going to Brooklyn in a haze of doe eyed wonder.
Which brings me to this. Daydreaming is amazing. I don't think I could stop even if I tried. I'm hardwired to let my mind wander. But, in doing so, I have to be careful not to miss the here and now. Savoring the moment is a true gift. Lunch that day with my friend and her cute co worker would have been a lot of fun, warm soy milk always leaves one sour, and a burned foot is never necessary. I shall work hard to remember these things. But, despite it all , I still must bid you sweet dreams.
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