It’s Just My Imagination
I have always had an “active” imagination. Anything I have ever done, I have spent hours on it in my mind first. It would appear that my personality dictate that I am impetuous and impulsive, but in fact I am not. The countless hours of daydreaming, now called visioning as I am a mature professional. Really it’s just daydreaming; sorting out every detail of an action and its consequences, or every word in a conversation to fully recognize my full meaning and intention so as to own every ripple I make. Daydreaming has even been the way I stay prepared for the world that I live in; picturing myself cleaning my house, dancing without care, and even warding off evil with complete and unequivocal success. It has also been the way I am able to tolerate witnessing for someone some of the most unimaginable sufferings that this world has to offer. My inner crime fighter is a combination of “Storm”, “Wonder woman”, and Bruce Lee. I always loved the way Wonder Woman stopped a speeding bullet, or Storm changed the entire environment with a little focus and arm swinging. Somehow I have always seen that as possible. Obviously, imagining having a better life is not necessarily a new theme but a recent trip and fall triggered a reflection on how many times my meanderings of the mind have prepared me to be safe, sane, courageous, physically adept, and joyful in the physical world.
Stop Drop and Roll, in My Mind
The other day, as I walked down the street to meet a friend at the local café, I tripped. Plunging forward somehow I caught myself, and kept walking. The trip made me realize that I forgot something at home, so I turned back. This time, in the exact same spot, I tripped again. This time I was going down. While on the way down, yes in that split second, I thought to myself…”I will not be hurt by this”. My shoulder automatically turned in and I tucked and rolled. If there had been a little more momentum I would have landed on my feet again. There I lay in the middle of the sidewalk in a little ball, without even a scratch, laughing. I easily got up, and surprisingly nothing hurt. As I walked to the café my heart swelled with joy. You see, I spend a lot of time wondering what I would do if I had to get out of the way of a speeding car, escape from a burning building, or fend off an attacker. So, I often visualize the dive and roll or the round house to the jaw. I imagine that my legs are strong and my form is impeccable. Of course, I don’t spend all day on these things but several times a day I catch myself in little 30 second snippets of what I would do if… I always visualize the answer, and that day I had proof that it is not time wasted.
Hip Hop in My Mind
I love to dance. I went to NYC and dancing was to be a part of my repertoire. I quickly learned that I was more of a choreographer than a dancer, and I definitely was not an athlete. I always held so much emotion in my gut that always found a way to come pouring out. That’s workable for yoga class, but definitely not ballet or even jazz. The thing that I got from dance was moving with the flow of the universe, bending, weaving, and being a conduit for universal life force. Thinking in this way brought to me an ultra awareness of the subtle influx of change and how to move with it instead of against it. To move towards the steps I could do, and do them well. Always seeing myself becoming good at the things I wasn’t good at just yet. Hip Hop dance was just blooming at the time and I was awful at it. You really need great balance to be good at Hip Hop, and imbalance is my specialty. However, in my mind, I am amazing. I can even do flip’s, get up with one leg, NO hands, and the ole slide and spin. I always feel invigorated after a 30 second Hip Hop session in my mind.
Now that brings me to the real world application. I was at the doctor’s office one morning, and walking out the door just before me was a lady who was clearly on her last appointment before the baby came. Her husband was about 20 feet away talking to the desk people when I opened the door for her and motioned her to go before me. She smiled and softly said thank you. Something was not right in her voice. Without thinking about it, my body began to drop to one knee about the same time that I realized that she was going to pass out. It was only a few seconds before I had the full weight of her sitting on the impromptu chair I had created with my knee. Her husband noticed at the point her head fell back on my shoulder. She was out. He and the nurse came running over and we shared an awkward glance, as if to say, “Is this your pregnant wife on my lap?” She came too; they got her some juice and helped her to a real chair. The husband said, “Thanks.” I said, “No problem” and walked out the door and moved on with the day. As I laughed to my car, I thought…”I really love Hip Hop.”
Bruce Lee in My Mind
I had a poster of Bruce Lee in my room literally all my child hood. I always felt a special connection to him and to the martial arts. The concept of using an opponent’s energy against them, or summoning and directing universal chi always resonated with me. However, like I said, I am only an athlete in my mind. So when I took those six months of Jiu Jitsu, it was a bit of a struggle. Sparring just for the sake of sparring did not make sense to me. My Kung Fu was definitely magical like the old Chinese martial arts movies. Flying through the air for a triple running kick… now how could that possibly help me in my future? Well, I found that warding off evil began with making some personal decisions. 1.) Deciding you’re not going to be a victim. 2.) Deciding that you will not be around violence or that violence cannot be within or around you. 3.)Knowing that Universal life force flows through you and aligning with it.
One dark Sunday evening walking down an old cobblestone street on the lower east side of NYC, I saw these two gentlemen walking on the other side of the street, they were eyeing me and I knew they weren’t gentlemen at all. Even though it was early the street was vacant and quiet. I had to cross to their side of the street to get to the train so just as they passed, I crossed diagonally to end up behind them on the same sidewalk. Just as I stepped into the street, so did they. They were causing me to directly confront them. Knowing that the meeting was inevitable, I said, in my mind, “I will not have this. Whatever this is, I will not have it.” Just as we crossed paths in the center of the street, the taller gentleman began to take something from the inside of his jacket, just as his armed raised up to come down on me…I raised two fingers to him…and said, “Uh Uh.” He and his friend were so befuddled by this that he mimicked me, in a fairly high tone for a man, he said, “Uh uh, and sort of waived his hands in confusion. I just kept going and did not look back. When I got to the next block I broke down in tears and cried and laughed all the way home. As it turns out, the two fingered Mudra (hand yoga) that I unknowingly used, means protection. It certainly was that night.
Day Dreaming: More than it’s Cracked Up to Be
Watching the evening news can be tumultuous, for some. Just getting through the day without worry in this sometimes desperate place that we all share is a feat. So, I recommend, once a day in your quiet time; answer just one of those…”What would I do if…?” And since it is your vision, it can only end well for everyone. You never know when it will come in handy.
