Thinking Time
There are a few places that come to mind when I find myself deep in thought. When I run. When I sit by the ocean. When I take a shower. When I listen to music. When I drive.
I don’t know what it is about these things but I often find I do my best thinking when I am doing them. None more so than another, but this morning I found myself daydreaming in the car. Not about anything in particular, but I became conscious that in the car I regularly get lost in thought.
Actually, I believe I had a conversation about this with my therapist a few years ago when she highlighted that a lot of my AHA moments came when I was recalling a story about being in the car heading somewhere.
If I look at each of these scenarios mentioned above it makes sense to me as to why I let my mind go and daydream. They are all either special to me or are symbolic of something. Well at least I see them that way.
When I run its like a metaphor for life. I say this a lot but when I just put one foot in front of the other I know that eventually no matter how hard it gets, I will reach my destination. That alone gives me such a sense of freedom and happiness that I allow myself to be free of judgement in my thinking.
When I sit by the ocean I feel so deeply connected to it. The amount of times I have watched the sun rise over the horizon from the beach or while having my morning swim I have lost count. Again, the ocean is another metaphor for life. Not in the cliched version where you just need to ‘ride the wave of life’, but more so with the mentality that the ocean is ever changing, as are we. I am reminded of a quote that I love and have written about, “Different Ocean, Different Man”.
Just like we will never stand in the same ocean twice, we as human beings will never be the same from moment to moment.
When I shower, for me it is a place of solitude and peace. A place less metaphorical but more symbolic due to some key breakthroughs I have had while sitting on the shower floor feeling the water wash over me. One significant moment where I had been going through some darkness following some big life events, I sat on the shower floor one Sunday morning in 2021 and made the decision I was not going to let myself feel that way anymore. I stood up and from that moment things began to turn around for the better.
When I listen to music I am always inspired. I wonder about the artist and what that song represents about a moment in time in their life. They found inspiration somewhere that was powerful enough for them to create something beautiful to share with the world. When I listen to music I feel connected. Being a musical and lyrical enthusiast myself I relate to what the artist says and how they express it through their art.
When I drive its like I am searching for direction. I know where I am going but how do I get there? I just daydream and wonder about things. Life events. Decisions. People. Relationships. Things I need to do. Things I want to do. My mortality. My mum. Again, driving symbolises forward momentum with the choice to turn at any moment down the path we are drawn to the most or the road that will lead us to our destination.
I am not sure why symbolism is so significant to me but it is and I like that it is. To find meaning and reason in an otherwise mundane or meaningless task. I think there is some power in that.
It can also be a curse adding weight to something that requires no weight. I guess that’s the burden that comes with being a deep thinker. There are so many beautiful moments that occur through self exploration and insight, yet it can halt progress.
I like my thinking time.
I feel I have grown a lot through thought and through writing.
More thinking time.