The Mind Is A Wonderful Thing

I remember when my boys were growing up. They both learned how to entertain themselves so that it was not nonstop entertaining and soothing them. No, they didn’t have to do it all the time. But, hand the oldest one tinker toys or a book and he could play and play having the best time. My other son would go and hunt something to do if he was bored. I used to laugh because when he was a young teen, we lived in the country and if he got too bored, he would clean house. I mean literally vacuum, dust or clean the kitchen. But sometimes, we reach adulthood and do not know how to entertain ourselves and depend on others to do it for us.

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
Buddha

Becoming disabled, I learned to find my own entertainment like the computer, writing, reading, art, photography, etc. And so, when no one is around, I am quite content and don’t feel like I have nothing to do. And even on those times where I feel the worst and just lay here, I can close my eyes and go anywhere I want as I flip through my mental memory album or mental pictures of places I have seen or read about.

One of my favorite things is what is called Coffee Table books. I love them because they are filled with pictures and I can sit and look and look to my heart’s content. I have quite a few of them and son finds them when he goes to the used bookstore.

I have very eclectic taste and love to read all kinds of books. This dream one is one of my favorites because it talks about other cultures too.

I remember the day son found this book for me. I was getting over surgery and it was what kept me entertained for hours while I could not get up and do anything. The mind…what a great thing. I traveled all over America in this book.

‘There is no need to search for happiness or to create it. There is no need to undergo all kinds of external experiences in order to enjoy it. It is always here, deep within your soul.”

This Dragon book is so awesome. It has all sorts of things in it. Below is a picture inside.

I love seeing the paddle boats and all the places along the Mississippi River in this book. I look at these books over and over.

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs

and returns home to find it”

George Moore

Just a few of my treasures of Coffee Table books. They are huge books and one can spend an afternoon just looking at one and travel all over the place. But the point of showing them was to show just one way of entertaining ourselves, especially if we are home bound a lot. Some people have a really hard time entertaining themselves and then without meaning to, they can put a drain on those around them because they want the people around them to entertain them. My son is wonderful to take care of me but I want him to have a life too and the best way for me to do that was by being someone who knew how to entertain myself…to self soothe instead of expecting him to do it.