We began to wonder if it was similar to the "Doorway Effect" (when you walk through a doorway and almost instantly lose your train of thought), except backwards. Perhaps when you walk by something, your mind instantly replays a memory that may or may not be significant to you in any such way, but reminds you of a pondering question or an inquisitive sight you had encountered during that time, simply by seeing an object or scenario that acts as a "deja vu" experience from within.
Perhaps we are completely off, but after hanging up it got me thinking. I wonder what thoughts I truly think throughout one day of just seeming normality. I knew it would be hard to truly comprehend every single thought, as most leave my mind as quick as they come, but I was interested to see what I could potentially record on a day's journey.
I grabbed my journal after finishing this "idea" of mine and set out determined to record what was going on in my mind. I will admit, I was a bit worried. For one, I didn't want to miss a thought or hinder my thinking capabilities, because if I was concentrating on actually thinking, would I think accurately? I think so.The way I decided to go about this was simple. I would record a thought that kept me pondering enough to either sit on the idea for a few seconds or speak the thought out loud (which happens more than I'd care to admit). I wrote my responses in my phone's "notes" section, on a napkin, and in my journal. Pretty much anywhere I could immediately jot down my notes.
After completing a gentle walk with my padawan, we came home and plopped down on the couch, where I whipped out all of my materials and browsed through what I thought throughout the day. What I learned was very curious and gave me a little insight into my inner self. Weird I know, but just hear me out.
Once I saw what I was thinking, I was able to place my emotions or actions into each thought, which led me to find specific triggers for anxiety, sadness, and even frustration. Little things I didn't even realize, which I am now able to break down "why does it do that", leading me to further my self improvement from within. It has given me the ability to make decisions about how to approach potential future triggers and led me to really love how the mind works. Certain thoughts even led me remember memories that I hadn't smiled about in years.
To give you a little insight, I thought I'd share with you guys some of the thoughts I thought about throughout the day. Some are questions, others are statements. I won't share ALL, because well, some are just plain boring.
Now, I won't be going into detail about each and every one of these thoughts and which one caused a trigger (I don't need you all dwelling on "how I tick" hahaha), but I think you might just get a kick out of how "out there" my brain can get.
- Why doesn't Trader Joe's sell gravy year around? In fact, why are whole turkeys mostly sold around Thanksgiving? I like turkey all the time. And ham.
- They painted it yellow. It's not originally yellow, it's painted. They went to a shop and asked for their car to be painted that yellow. Not even a pretty yellow. Is it pretty to them? It's not even the same shade yellow everywhere? Were they in an accident and it had to be painted? I wonder how much it costs to paint an entire car one color.
- I don't like pecans.
- Why are grocery stores going back in time? (referring to a "best bread you'll ever make" poster I saw)
- What does their house look like? Do they wear shoes inside their house?
- How do people stick to one style of clothing? Do they have a secret obsession with other styles, but are too afraid to try them? If they are decisive on one style, does that mean they are more in tune with themselves?
- Why are there so many grocery stores with red logos if red is supposed to be an "angry" color? I love food, I don't want to be angry when I buy it.
- I want to meet the creator of Tsum Tsums and thank them for ruining my life while simultaneously making my life complete, even though they didn't exist until recently.
- I like walking to places, I just don't like walking back.
- I wonder how long we could ride the train up the coast of California for, before anyone texted "what are you doing?".
- I don't like pastries with nuts in them. I prefer them soft, not crunchy.
- If I can taste the color, it's going to remind me of a clown's makeup and I immediately decide to banish that food item from my household.
- I wonder how many people are have looked at me today.
- White feathered chickens looked like really determined pigeons who are just getting off the couch after sitting for years and have been sun deprived.
- I could probably pass for a dude if I tried.
- Why do some donuts have holes in the middle?
- I wonder if you can feel my anxiety in the air.
- When I stare at my couch for too long, it's almost looks like it's staring at me.
- I really wish I could speak squirrel. I bet they would tell great stories.
- I could live in an RV. I can't live in an RV park.
- I love the cold, but sunshine and mild warmth means picnics, so maybe I kind of love summer too?
As you can see my thoughts have been scattered all over the place. While I don't necessarily get the idea behind some of these thoughts, I think it's kind of cool to see how far off I can go while simply brushing my teeth.
With everything said and done, I have learned quite a bit about myself. Some of these revelations came from thoughts I didn't include here - for privacy reasons - but I really do encourage you guys to try this out. In fact, I think I'm going to try this again on my own time. Getting to revel in the inner workings of my consciousness, is like reading a book about yourself that someone who knows you best wrote just for you.
That being said, self discovery is amazing and anything that gets you learning about yourself [I think] is a beautiful experience worth living. So go out there and do whatever you think you should to learn something about yourself. After all, you're the one who will be with you the longest.
Cool post. I have also been trying to be more mindful and less on auto pilot. I haven't written down my thoughts but maybe it's not such a bad idea. I could probably get more blog posts out of it. :) Love it! :)
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