The Art of Daydreaming, Fitzroy Island and that Scottish Teenager

A day on Fitzroy Island, a little bit of a tropical paradise only slightly marred by poor visibility in the Coral Sea, probably from rain the night before. My hitherto adopted Scottish nephew managed to see turtles, an array of fish and amazing coral as the tide began to go out. I painted a couple of pictures using my new sketching companion. A big thank you to hubster for that luxury item.

Painting of rainforest hill on island surrounded by the Coral Sea. View from Fitzroy Island QLD. 2023

It was educational to spend time with an 18 year old who passes himself off as 22. Good luck to him. He's got an adventurous spirit, a generous soul and a kind heart. His parents must be proud of him. He's an excellent advert for their parenting. He's also a woman magnet. With his strawberry blond curls and easy manner, women have been drawn to him whenever we have been out together. Lucky him.

Miss Lizzy Blue doesnt think much of him though which leads to hubster and I watching her Iike two hungry hawks. - with MLB there is no movement without purpose and often consequence.

I've been focused on Alain De Botton's book 'The School of Life' which is like a manual for emotions with respect to self, relationships, work and culture. Its logical approach to emotions easily beats anything by authors of psychology. But philosophy will do that; stimulate a sense of possibility. Today's reading is on 'The importance of staring out of the window' .

"The point of staring out of a window is ... an exercise in discovering the content of our own minds."

"Plato suggested a metaphor for the mind: our ideas are like birds fluttering around in the aviary of our brains. But in order for the birds settle, Plato understood that we need periods of purpose-free calm. Staring out of the window offers such an opportunity"

"Some of our greatest insights come when we stop trying to be purposeful and instead, respect the creative potential of reverie. Window daydreaming is a strategic rebellion against the excessive demands of the immediate, but in the end insignificant pressures in favour of the diffuse, but very serious search of the wisdom of the unexplored, deep self."

Yesterday, staring out over the aqua Coral Sea was one such day for me. Today, I am motivated and disciplined in what I need to do. Whe knows what will come out in today's journal? I regularly set aside time for my daily pages and a siesta. Perhaps I need to build into my day a time for staring out of the window. Standing surrounded by nature with no agenda or pre-thoughts is a similar action to Compassionate Buddha Qigong, soaking in the environment, seeing what transpires in mind. The only problem I see is that I'm rarely bored and love to be productive. There is so much to do and experience both awake and asleep. I'm going to have to change my mindset to see daydreaming as productive too, Or is it potentially productive? I think I can live with potentially productive. The Protestant time management ethic sits within me. Even on non-working days, I have a timetable of things to do.

My Scottish new-nephew is downstairs as I write, with nothing to do, quite happy in the moment. I need to take a leaf out of his book and return to the habits of the young, allow my brain to push itself within daydreaming. The last time I remember purpose-less daydreaming, I was 14. It is indeed time to reclaim the benefits of a less busy mind. I wonder, have you spent time daydreaming recently?

Well, it's time for my siesta and when I wake, I will sit on the balcony and daydream for ten minutes to begin with, until I get better at it. No pressure and no productivity targets.

Adios Amigos

Be kind to yourselves

pic of Jane Nash on Fitzroy Island QLD 2023