Monday, August 10, 2015

"Masters of daydreaming.."

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” ― John Lubbock, The Use Of Life






        https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/


               As a child I remember lying on soft snuggly blankets in the backyard lazily looking up at  slightly overcast afternoon skies. Few things are as relaxing or set our imaginations free as when we allow ourselves to discover shapes and new forms in the ever changing clouds. Many times we are surrounded by beauty but our awareness has tuned it out like when we are texting our friends at the beach or snapping Instagram photos of a sunset we should be absorbing in real time. We are a society obsessed with our smartphones, social media, held captive by the constant flickering flame of our own thoughts. Cloud appreciation goes far beyond childhood or adolescent daydreams, it is a practice all of us are encouraged to continue at any age. Why?
            Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society stated the reason perfectly,
"I find that sometimes by paying attention to something outside of yourself, it's just enough to find yourself centered again." In his presentation above Pretor-Pinney discusses how letting our imaginations go is a necessary part of creativity and human nature.