Last night when the Sandman refused me rest, I found myself relating Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love. The opening scene in the book where she's laying on the bathroom floor wailing like a baby due to circumstances that aren't muddled and she asks God for help and receives the response "Go back to Bed". Plain, simple, extremely clear. To think of this response to such deep sorrow always causes me to laugh...while my struggles are slightly different than that of Gilberts, I did receive the same sort of response. Be Present.
Day dreaming can sometime prove the perfect band aid when going through difficult life situations. Not the kind filled with rainbows and unicorns, but rather where you strongly project yourself in the most desired of circumstances. Visions filled with creating, obtaining, and fulfilling scenarios that are infused with contentment, joy, and success. Like walking a tightrope though, daydreaming can often lead to meltdowns of some sorts when what you thought you were clearly creating is wiped off the table and no other options are visible on the horizons.
Being present comes as naturally to me as solving advanced mathematical equations. However, if this isn't a practiced art form, it can be detrimental to one's mental health. For if you begin to 'bank on' something happening because you believe it is simply the best option for your life, two things happen. First, you block the forces of your Creator to produce something beyond your wildest dreams. Secondly, when what you dreamt gives you too much hope but gets the big fat 'denied' stamp on it, you risk sinking to darkest of places.
How exactly being present becomes an innate quality I'm not so sure. Daydreaming can be necessary faced with the option to living amongst Nerf gun wars and food in constant nugget form...whose mind doesn't wander to the beach with a Mai Tai? But when it comes to living on a more grand scale and being on ones life path, perhaps following the daily notions provided by our intuition and having faith that all is as it should be in the present moment is simply mandatory. Knowing that the Creator knows our heart and desires, and wants to give us everything, can be a reminder that taking daily baby steps is exactly the antedote to being consistently neutral, fulfilled, and present...ultimately allowing the adventure of how we are getting there to be more gratifying than daydreaming about the results.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eat,_Pray,_Love)
