The Wild Mind

Photo by Marek Szturc on Unsplash

I believe that our minds are designed to wonder and to wander.

I believe that magic and a mystery are meant to be part of our human lives.

Perhaps our modern brains concoct so many stories throughout the day because they long to be back in that place of imaginative play. These stories feel like interruptions as we try to force our thoughts onto what we feel we should be thinking - about work, the children, dinner plans, weekend schedules.

What if we are trying to leash a wild animal and complaining because it acts, … well, … wild.

What if we let it off the leash, to run, explore, re-find its wild self? Eventually, it would tire itself out. It would rest. Day after day, unleashed from its unnatural tether, it would go through the cycles of wandering, intense focus (to obtain what it needs), and rest.

What if we followed it deep into those woods where we’d kept it from going? What mysterious sites would we discover? What would we come to see is possible that we previously thought was impossible? What wondering would arise during those times of wandering? What magic would come alive that we could invite into the otherwise mundane moments?

We work the mind like crazy, tether it to our expectations, and demand that it keeps us safe and appearing sane (and successful and well-spoken) in our lives.

Let your mind rest. Meditate. Sleep more and sleep better.

And be brave….untether your mind. Take a full breath, go for a walk or sit on your floor and unclamp the leash.

Wander, wonder, and invite mystery and magic back into your life.