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Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Pacific Wet Dreams

There is a side of me that I am told is not focused, or perhaps too easily focused on things of lesser significance. This can be hindrance in many ways that I probably don't need to explain. I have also found that it can be harnessed to some degree to let in things that ordinarily might be missed. For example, Saturday morning on our deck I distinctly heard the sound of waves against the rocky shoreline in northern California. Quite a feat for being in Independence, Missouri.

The Surprise Maples in our backyard, along with a chorus of other nearby trees were pounding against the shoreline in the June breeze. I was transported to Monterrey Bay without the $4 a gallon price tag for gas.

I think I've become more aware of my surroundings the last couple of years. Especially to the not so obvious things. Some of this transformation seems to have come naturally. Well, at least somewhat involuntary. Not through any conscious effort on my part. But as I have realized the power of imagination that has come with this, I have more recently tried to harness it and improve on it. I believe there has been some increased benefit from this effort.

I heard something the other day about people losing their creative tendencies as they grow older. The piece may have been on NPR ( I can't recall) but without providing clear answers as to why, it was exploring the prospects that what inhibitions prevent us from our wildest thought explorations as children seem to vanish with age. With so many more experiences to draw upon, this seems to run contrary with what one might expect. Yet it is probably true.

So how do we keep our imaginations young? How do we open the mind to greater creative possibilities?

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