Among living creatures, human beings have been uniquely gifted with imagination. Children are masterful in their use of this gift, but sadly imagining is one of the few skills that seems to diminish as we age. Oh we adults imagine things, but have you noticed most of what you imagine isn’t very positive? In fact, I’d guess that the vast majority of what we “daydream” is outright awful!
Restoring our ability and the habit to imagine good things will help us become skillful receivers of good. Being able to make up something positive will ward off irritation and resentment. For example, if I’m thinking skillfully, I’m able to replace a negative assumption with one that’s more constructive:
- When a driver cuts me off, I eliminate the conclusion that they’re rude and instead imagine that they’re headed to their first day on a new job and are running late. I see them as so focused on arriving on time that they have overlooked me, unintentionally cutting me off.
- If I encounter someone who is overly protective of revealing information about themselves, I imagine that they’ve been burned before and are afraid to risk exposure again.
- Should I meet a surly or unpleasant person, I remember that it’s not about me – we just met. I choose to consider that they may be in physical pain or perhaps are grieving the loss of someone dear.
- When the car in front of me lets multiple opportunities to turn left pass them by, I figure that they’ve been traumatized by a bad accident and are being overly cautious to ensure their safety.
My made up “stories” may seem silly to you, but they are very effective at moving me from judgment to compassion. This kind of thinking is a concrete way of making that 18-inch journey from my head to my heart and enables me to demonstrate my commitment to living my word for 2013 – “one.” (See my post from December 30, 2012.) We really are all in this together.
I wish I could say I use my imagination constructively all of the time, but I don’t. I am getting better at it, though, as I recognize the opportunities to shift my assumptions more quickly than ever before. Join me next time as I share more ways I like to make it up good.