French Kissing Life...

I used to lay around and daydream. I would do it for hours at a time. Admittedly I was in high school and college and most of my life consisted of avoiding doing any type of chores and/or homework. Thus I would lay on my bed, lay on the beach, or sit in a hot bath and just daydream. I would imagine meeting Mr. Right, I would imagine my travels around the world, I would imagine looking like I always dreamed I looked like and (a) running into my secret crush who was now madly in love with me or (b) running in the mean girls in school and having them realize they wish they were me. I would imagine simple things like watching sunsets, or having great conversations, or great kisses. I would imagine a life I knew I would never have, nor do I really think I would have, like falling in love with a sexy country singer (see below) or coming a bohemian nomad, traveling the world with nowhere to call home. Anything that would let me escape my current reality, whether good or bad. Day dreaming was my hobby. I found so much joy and relaxation in daydreaming. It is an amazing feeling to just tune your mind out, tune it to a different channel than the one you are currently watching past you by, day by day. Tune into a different version of you life, whatever you want it to be. The travel channel, the adventure channel, the romance channel, the comedy channel. I even had day dreams about getting in fights with friends, or family or fictional lovers. All of these let me experiment with version of me.

Most of the time, when I day dream I listen to music. Possibly my favorite all time CD to day dream to is Kenny Chesney's "Be As You Are" for two reasons (1) Kenny Chesney is definitely my celebrity crush and starred in many of my day dreams, but mostly because (2) the entire CD is filled with songs about doing just what the title says, to 'be as you are", to enjoy the simple things in life, whether it's a pina colada, a piece of key lime pie or giving it all up and moving to the islands. I lost this CD a while back and have missed it dearly. I finally succumbed to my Kenny Chesney obsession and bought this CD again today. I put it in the stereo and I was immediately transported to a feeling of calm and relaxation. This evening I spent most of my night listening to "Be As You Are" and day dreaming. I spent the whole night just thinking of Mr. Right, Mr. Kenny Chesney (It's been a while so I had to include him, I didn't want him to feel left out of my daydreams), my life as a traveling bohemian, my life filled with passion and adventure. Great kisses and great conversation.

How is it that just thinking about things, things you know you'll never have, things you know you don't even really want; how is it that it can make you so relaxed, so happy about the life you are living? How is it that this mental journey can be more rejuvenating that an actual vacation can be?