Im sitting here in my RV, looking out my window at the distant mountains, and contemplating the 78 times I have traveled around the sun. The trees and sky are vivid colors and the air is crystal clear. The birds sing as they hop from branch to branch but the rest of the forest is silent in this glorious peaceful morning.
All this got me to thinking about simple pleasures, or in my case a simple mind. One morning while staying with Donna I awoke quite early and went to the living room and sat in the dark. A while later, Donna came out and was surprised I was just sitting in the dark and not doing anything. I may have been daydreaming or just thinking, I’m not sure. She was puzzled that I didn’t have the TV on or that I was not on my phone looking at social media. I wasn’t even drinking coffee.
I sometimes wonder if we live in a world where we must always have some kind of stimulation. Watching TV, surfing the internet, reading a book, listening to music and audibles, or engaging in conversation. All these are fine things to do, but do we need stimulation constantly? We are certainly social animals and most of us cannot live without surrounding ourselves with other beings. I guess there are a few people that are happy to live as hermits or loners, but they are exceptions.
I don’t meditate. I’m probably more of a daydreamer than a thinker, although I have solved many problems in that dream state. I’m as much a social animal as most other people. I enjoy texting with family and friends, and although I’m quite an introvert, most of the time I enjoy social gatherings. Just writing this gives this simple mind something to think about. Maybe my stimulation right now is wondering what shape that cloud reminds me of.
I know the argument is to keep the mind stimulated and challenged helps to ward off dementia and Alzheimers.