A Wandering Mind

A Wandering Mind

While the world sleeps, the mind wanders. It takes me to places that cannot be reached in the wakeful hours of the day. 

There was a time when the world was quiet. There were no sounds of merriment, no flowing movement of dance, no smells of fragrant flowers issuing feelings of comfort and peace. There were no thoughts other than to exist, to be present, to stay alive. 

It was that time when I was brought here. I, who had come from a world rich with flavor, rich with company, rich with thoughts filled with imagination. 

What I saw was desolation, abandonment, and despair. People wandering from place to place with no direction, no hope, no desires. 

I could not stand alone in this world and let it be. There had to be a way to awaken the feelings, the ideas, the actions that make a world alive. So I sat amidst the people. I lit a fire in front of me and did not move. I just stared at the fire. 

It wasn’t long before the people began to notice, a lack of movement in front of a strange, warming glow. This was never seen before. And people stopped their aimless wandering and they too began to stare at the flame. And as more and more entered that gathering, I began to speak.

“Once upon a time…” I filled the air with words and with those words I let fly my thoughts, my pictures, my stories. As I spoke I could see the faces of these people change. I began to see wonder in their eyes. I saw movements of their bodies that matched the actions of the words I was telling. I heard sounds of contentment and awe. 

As the fire died down, the stories ended. At least my stories ended. It was then that I heard the sounds of voices. I heard the retellings of words I had spoken. And then I heard new words, creative words, imaginative words, and the world took color. 

It was no longer the place of nothing; It was the place of contentment and joy and action. 

While the world sleeps, the mind wanders. But when the world awakes, it is a beautiful place. You just have to look, hear, smell, touch, and taste what’s there and be part of it.