Siberian Blue Squirrel Quill Mop...

Can't count the time I've spent creating fantasy bubbles in my head. Can you? There's a curated self, a contained reality that we work on all day long, a filtered environment filled with the kinds of thoughts, moods, colors, soundtracks, and dreams that have passed muster with our fussy psychic interior decorator. This gatekeeper decides what gets in and what doesn't. Important to note - the stuff that doesn't get in often doesn't get processed.

This habit presents real problems when the appealing reality you craft for yourself lures you away from the less appealing reality that is bombarding you in er, reality. The very real things that are happening to you, the things you choose not to include in your curated self, these can be left unattended in a blank space of denial. Obvious danger... What to do?

Thing to remember is that the virtual reality you craft in your psyche is in many ways a model for the reality you want to actually live. The question is how do you deal with the 'perfection' of a carefully self-curated reality that has none of the pitfalls of a pricklier, non-filtered reality?

Two parallel paths:

1) You build a castle in your mind and it's too big. You can't have it. The impossibility of wanting it and never being able to have it paralyzes you. The fantasy separates you from reality. You hole up with your fantasy as life passes you by. I've tried this and it's no fun.

2) You build a castle in your mind. You commit to making it real. You dedicate yourself to getting there. And maybe you do get there. Maybe you get halfway there. Maybe you get one sixty-fifth of the way there. But you're on that path. The vision inspires and fuels your journey. You've cast a line into an imaginary future and you're reeling yourself towards it. This is how all great changes seem to take place in our human society.

It's worth thinking big. You see that big thing way off in the distance through the lens of your mind's eye. It has a way of organizing your thoughts, your actions, your priorities, your feelings. Look at you: implementing dreams! Well done.

In the course of your daily fantasying, ask yourself, "Am I paralyzing myself or am I putting myself on an active road towards something I love?" As you're reeling about the ecstasy of your curated consciousness take a moment to listen. Is there a tiny voice somewhere in the background that whispers, "Even I know this isn't real..."?