Think Deeply

Something I have been trying to allow myself to do once again is thinking deeply into anything and everything.

I started listening to a podcast called Wild Geese hosted by Anna Corinne (thank you to my girlfriend for getting me hooked on this pod). In her podcast Anna covers a verity of topics including creativity, different questions she has, being joyful in your life and so many more! I highly encourage you, if you like my blog to go check out Wild Geese because I know you will like it!

Anyway, back to why I brought Wild Geese up in the first place.

I was inspired by her podcast specifically her episode entitled “The World is a Museum of Passion Projects.” In this episode she talks about a trip she took to Amsterdam with her boyfriend and after seeing all the beautiful architecture and innovation in the city she was reminded that this world is filled with people’s art. Maybe it’s a building or a bridge or a park. She says that everything we have in our world is because someone at some time had a vision and a passion to bring it to life.

I love that concept, viewing the world around us as a museum of people’s passions. A park is created because someone one day looked at a patch of land and thought, “wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to sit on a bench and enjoy the nature surrounding me?”

Or a bridge being built because someone dreamed up an innovative way to connect two patches of land and had the drive and commitment to pursue its creation.

The world is full of innovations and projects created by people who had a passion or a drive to create something or remedy a problem or inconvenience. But it’s not just tactical. All of these projects involve creativity. An architect is an artist. They design and create.

If someone is creating something with their mind and/or hands they are an artist.

You may be asking how what I have been talking about connects to the first sentence of this post.

Going through the world and our lives looking at the art around us, the buildings or roads or parks and taking the time within our minds to think about why they were created or who they were created by is an aspect of allowing ourselves to think deeply into something that others may not automatically do.

I spent most of my life thinking, a LOT of thinking. Lots of worrying and lots of daydreaming. I use to try to find meaning in really anything that I came in contact with. Then one day, I’m not sure when, I decided that I shouldn’t do that. I think it was because I was noticing that those around me didn’t think that deeply so I started thinking “why should I?”

The last few years I have been relearning how to think deeply. How to pause and spend time thinking about one little aspect of one little thought. Only recently do I feel like I am making any progress. Someone that has inspired me to allow myself to think deeply is my wonderful girlfriend. She is one of the deepest thinking people I know. Although she doesn’t always enjoy how much she thinks about any topic, I find it inspiring and almost as “permission” to allow my mind to wander and follow the rabbit trails it creates.

You don’t need permission to think deeply about anything in this world. If you want to listen to a song on repeat and just think about what the artist is saying or what the song means to you, you should. If you find an article on Substack that speaks to a part of you don’t be afraid to reread it and ponder its words.

Sometimes I think that my background in religion has deterred me from taking in the words of other humans on this planet. Growing up I was taught that only ONE book was the truth and it felt as though I couldn’t, shouldn’t be inspired or influenced by ANYTHING else.

But I am out of religion. I am free to be inspired by whatever I want. That is a wonderful feeling. I am no longer limited to one source. A source that truthfully I was NEVER inspired by.

I can choose to spend time thinking about my favorite tree or a mushroom I found on my walk today. I can stare at a painting or the sky and allow my mind to wander and find new thoughts or pathways.

I went on my first ever solo camping trip last month for my 29th birthday. And during that trip I practiced letting my mind linger on thoughts and feelings. I was outside in the midst of nature. Trees and grass and sand. Waves rolling onto the rocks on shore creating a calming soundtrack to the thought adventures my mind was taking.

Don’t be afraid to think. Think about the bluebird you see outside your window. About its life and what it may be experiencing. Think about a rock you find on the beach or on the sidewalk. Where did it come from? How old is it? If you were a rock what color would you want to be? Spend time thinking about “unimportant” things. Things that society may see as “unproductive” or “pointless.” Because those thoughts, if they mean something to you, or never pointless.