A leaf rustles against the rough edge of my old wooden floor in my bedroom as I walk by. The crunch of the dry material catches my attention. I bend to pick up the crackling, little bit of foliage and I wonder where it came from. How did this exact leaf find its way from a tree to the ground to the threshold of my house, on in through the living room, down the hall and onto my floor in the back corner of the house?
I, as a dreamer, make up a story for the little leaf, deciding for myself which of my five trees it fell from and when, and thinking perhaps it was carried through the house as an unknown passenger on my dog's furry foot. More fanciful imaginings work through my mind as I decide on this logical story, in which the leaf blows from room to room, fueled by the rush of wind from a closing door or the burst of momentum from my passing foot.
However that little leaf ended up where it did, it managed to bring about a good 10 minutes of creative imagining on my part. I find myself wondering about silly, pointless things such as this fairly regularly. While some may just say that I have my head in the clouds, I am of the mind that it is crucial to your health and peace of mind to wonder about "at least six impossible things before breakfast" and to spend a considerable amount of time dreaming.
Of course, I am a writer. So it is the root of my existence to daydream. However, I do firmly believe it is important to explore creative avenues and consider the possibilities. Whether it is wondering about the journey of a lonely leaf or noticing someone on the street listening to music and guessing what song they are listening to, daydreaming keeps us connected to the world beyond ourselves.
If you take the time to notice the complexities of other people and things in the big, wide world around you, then you undoubtedly begin to develop a consciousness that extends beyond your own daily functioning and begin to grow a healthy curiosity about the rest of the world and a sense of compassion that can do nothing but good.
Have you ever wondered where the lemons in your fruit bowl are from? Have you ever wondered who made your shoes? Who designed the clothes you picked out this morning? Whose idea was it to make nail clippers? Who made the flower arrangement you bought at Publix last week? What made your history teacher decide to be a history teacher?
There are so many things we never take the time to notice or wonder about, and the second that you do, you realize how little you really know about the world. This realization is a healthy one, though. For many, it is a moment which marks early adulthood, when it suddenly hits you that you know absolutely nothing; but it is one that opens you to all the possibilities, all the wonders of life and the intermixing, twisted, never-ending, wonderful, crazy cycle of the world and all of us in it.
