Hi, Harriet...
your question intrigued me. The term, "daydreaming," seems to carry
negative connotations to me. It's probably because my childhood was full
of adults who thought I was "daydreaming" to much. I think that
"gathering cobwebs" was another term some people used. Now, of course,
I'm referring to times when I wasn't focused where the authority figure in
my life thought I should be focused. (sometimes they were probably
right...but for the wrong reasons).
You say you daydream while you focus on what you have to do. How
wonderfully adaptable you seem to be! I had to learn to do that too, so
that all of the "supervisors" in my life wouldn't stop me from
daydreaming.
In music or literature, this phenomenon may be called
polyphonic--literally, consisting of many voices or sounds. I have heard
that some cultures are more likely to produce polyphones than others
(specifically, Hispanic cultures). In my home, it was very usual to have
music, conversations, phone calls and studying going on at the same time
with preparing or eating meals. At work, I think it's sometimes called
"multi-tasking." Perhaps this phenomenon is related to the ongoing
discussion on "linear" thinking (something that I wish I were sometimes
better at).
I've found that my "daydreaming" is simply part of the way that I process
information and solve problems. I tend to refer to it as "pattern"
thinking. My daydreaming might include a bit of a Shakespeare play; a
nugget from the LO list; a scene from a movie; ideas from book(s) I've
read; bits and pieces from some experiences and a fantasy or two...and
then, from somewhere in this potpourri comes a pattern that provides me
with a new insight into a problem I'm working on. Or, better yet I
glimpse a new idea or poetic phrase or understanding of myself. Isn't
this a source for synthesis and creativity?
I suppose I thought that people who spent any time in the "flow" of life
shared this experience. So, I just assumed that most of the people
participating on this list were also "fringe" thinkers, like you and I.
(-; I think the difficulty is in becoming conscious of this often
subconscious (or even unconscious) mental and emotional activity, like you
seem to be.
regards,
Doc
------------------
"I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the
people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise
their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from
them, but to inform their discretion by education." --Thomas Jefferson
Richard Charles Holloway -
P.O. Box 2361, Olympia, WA 98507 USA Telephone 253.539.4014 or 206.568.7730
Thresholds <http://www.thresholds.com>
Meeting Masters <http://www.thresholds.com/masters.html>
--"Richard Charles Holloway" <learnshops@thresholds.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>