So, are we having fun yet?
I am. Are you working or playing?
Playing right now. Excellent, can you play cooking and have a meal?
Yes, though sometimes not tasty. Sometimes not tasty, that’s true, but it can be that way even if you take cooking very seriously, and I think it’s more likely to turn out bad if you are too serious.
Can you play walking or driving and get where you want to go?
Yes, though sometimes it takes longer.
Can you play friend and have a relationship? Can you play your role and be happy? Pretend to be you and live your life?
Let me set a scene. You wake up in the morning, and begin to imagine all the things ahead of you. You imagine that these are things that you will be forced to do. You begin to do your morning routine. Do you notice what your breakfast tastes like?
Often not. So you get the morning stuff out of the way, and think about what you might have to do before you get down to work. Do you notice opportunities to do things a new way? Like buy a new brand of coffee at the gas station?
Not usually and, yes, doing something in a new way is exciting. It makes me want to try it, like an experiment, to see the result.
Do you often have that time before work? Depends on what your job is.
Ok, so now you’re getting down to work, whatever that might be. Do you notice that your tasks can be done in any order and still get done, that maybe they can even be done better? Does it really help to have a set pattern to your tasks?
I often realize that certain things need to get done before others, but then that can hold me back because I make it too rigid for myself.
Where I worked we would take people out of the office just to think about how to do things differently. It needed a disruption of their routine to happen. How well did that work?
Well, there would be great ideas but people usually snapped back into the old pattern after. Ideas never acted on, no engagement.
I often need to just get up away from the computer and walk around to clear my mind and I then I remember something I had forgotten.
Ok, let’s say your work is all done for the day, what was that like for you?
Relaxing, freedom.
Tedious.
What is it like for most of your friends?
Objection: hearsay. In the case of the personal impact of any experience, hearsay is absolutely trustworthy.
So you go home from work, or go about your after work activities, how much of your day is left?
I usually go home but sometimes go out.
Often after a long days work, there is not much private time left. What can you choose to do in the time after work? Are there many choices?
Usually I was so tired I would just veg in front of the TV.
Dinner, chores, not much choice.
Ah, so choice 0 or choice 1. Binary.
What to make for dinner, play with the dogs, Second Life, reading.
When you go out after work, whatever you chose to do, were there really many alternatives? Perhaps really just one?
Not a huge number, could be a concert, an author’s talk, a science lecture. At any given time any more than one?
Generally only one, but occasionally two things at the same time. Detail oriented people do have a richer experience of life.
When I lived in a house of friends, I think I took for granted the activity and interaction. Yes, when people share those choices, those experiences, things feel full, natural and alive.
Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.
Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~