Pondering Pondering

January 2019

Today, many people lead very busy lives. The demands of our fast-paced world create a continuous cycle of action and reaction, which can be exhausting, both mentally and physically. These circumstances don’t really allow us to spend time alone with our thoughts. Our phones often even follow us to bed, or even into the lavatory. That’s too bad, as having time to just think can be a great way to renew yourself and your mental health.

Some call it meditation or mindfulness. Both are great concepts, and we should all spend more time learning about them. Trying to become skilled at their techniques can be a lifelong endeavor. I find meditation difficult to master. But I have had better luck trying to master “pondering”.

Now, everyone ponders. Although it’s not a word we use much to describe the process. What I mean when I use this word, is to describe a thought or thoughts that get stuck in my head. Sometimes it’s topics I give some serious attention to. Subjects and issues I investigate so I can formulate an opinion, or sometimes just because it interests me in that moment. Some are about me, almost like a journal.  Others may be about the world at large.  Some are relevant.  Some are just superfluous folly. 

Again, everyone does this. To some extent anyway. It may be as simple as contemplating how potholes form, or as complicated as finding the meaning of existence. It is just a normal part of sorting through the day. But I think it’s safe to say that not everyone goes to the same lengths that I do. I go out of my way to ponder.

Sometimes it’s a deep subject that occupies my thoughts for some time. Perhaps a topic I have to do a little detective work and learn about.  Other times it’s just a random anomalous thought that just makes me wonder. Like I said, we all have thoughts that we ponder, and we each deal with these in different ways. As crazy as it sounds, I like to write some of mine down.

Now you may have just mumbled something about that being the most OCD thing you have ever heard.  But before you judge, hear me out.  There is something truly cathartic about writing down things you are thinking about.  For one, it makes you think about them in a different sort of way. Secondly, it makes you stay on a thought for a bit longer and treat it more thoroughly.  So, in a way it is a form of meditation. It can also be a way to learn something new, if you ponder and investigate, like I often do. It certainly helps me keep my aging mind sharp.  Like a crossword puzzle you might say. 

Now I have written so many of these that I began to ponder sharing them. Why, you might ask? Well, maybe someone will find a little humor, a little fun or perhaps even a bit of wisdom within them. In turn, this may cause them to ponder. And in pondering, add a little value to their own lives or someone else’s. Regardless, sharing my pondering is low risk. After all, who could it hurt? Who will read it anyway?  Maybe no one. But pulling them all together like this has been a fun exercise.  And maybe, just maybe it will help me leave behind a legacy that gives some indication of who I was, or how I saw the world.

So, the following pages contain my ponderings. I hope you take the time to read a couple.  I also hope they make you think, if just for a moment, and block out the world.  Maybe finding a moment of rejuvenation in your hectic life. I know writing them has done this for me.  If nothing else, embrace the thought of just thinking about something for the sake of doing so!

Enjoy!