I Am a Day Dreamer
I am a day dreamer. I say that like this is day dreamers anonymous and I just joined, "Hi, my name is tj, and I'm a day dreamer!" But that's not the case, because I don't want to be "cured." In fact, I don't think it's anything bad at all, just a bit distracting at times.
There was a time when it was a problem, but really only because I was bored, and so my mind wondered. Of course I'm talking about school, and my day dreaming in class. But, instead of yelling, whacking me with the ruler, or humiliating me in one of the many ways teachers used to (and probably still do), they should have received the discipline. Now, before I go farther, let me clarify that I refer only to the teachers who were and are incompetent, pompous arseholes. There are many, many wonderful teachers who this does not apply to.
Now, back to my point. Yes, I day dreamed in some of my classes, and yes, I got poor grades. But I also was stimulated in some classes and received high grades. It was not the subject, it was the teacher. See, being a dreamer, I would soon become bored with classes that just droned on and on. Their was no challenge, and after the first quarter I would begin to lose interest. Sometimes even sooner.
I was a boy, I lived in a very dysfunctional home, I was introverted, and I was smart. I didn't need some control freak teacher instilling disciple and humiliation upon me, I needed understanding and an educator who could provide guidance and motivation to apply myself. In the midst of these talented people, I would excel and apply myself fully. But, when I was confronted by obvious inferiority, I would find myself bored, and soon I would be wondering off on some adventure, designing something I would build, or even making up wild stories of adventure and danger to stimulate my young mind.
After I finished school, I was so burned out by the boredom of it all, that college was a dirty word to me. Instead I went to work. That I had to labor for a living was fine with me, I enjoyed and still do, working with my hands. But, after awhile, I longed for more, I dreamed of more, and this took me into the United States Air Force.
Now, with low grades throughout high school, and no college, my recruiter was a little doubtful that I had anything to offer. But, I knew better, and I took the tests. I knew I had plenty to offer, but the results even surprised me; the results were astounding. I was able to enter the service and go into any career field I desired. I guess I must have learned even while I had dreamed, it hadn't been any handicap at all.
I continued dreaming throughout my life, I still day dream to this day. It may annoy people sometimes when my eyes glaze over and I am miles away even as they speak, but it's there own damn fault, they're boring me. I did learned to focus over time, to control and use this wonderful gift. And, if I need to, I can hold my attention on even boring subjects. But, if I don't need to, I don't even have to summon my secret powers, they just take over and I'm gone.
Some very wonderful ideas have been born out of my day dreams, and I have found solutions to some of life's most important problems in my day dreams. I have discovered that day dreaming is not a liability, it's an asset, one just needs to learn how to use it. I disagree with anyone who discourages a child from day dreaming, and say in stead, quit boring that child and challenge them. Unless there is something wrong with the child, it's healthy for them to day dream.
I may have opened up quite a lot of room for disagreement with this last statement, but it's what I believe. I day dreamed, I did poor in school, yet with a challenge I would not get lost in my dreams, but would instead accept that challenge and overcome it. I will agree, however, that there is a time for dreaming and there are times when restraint is needed; children need to be taught to control and master their day dreams.
Yes, I'm a day dreamer. Or, to be more exact, I'm a dreamer, so of course I day dream...
