Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open
James Dewar
I read this quote yesterday and it struck a cord with me. Having an open mind seems to be such an easy thing to do, but when it comes down to it, how much of an open mind do we really have.
As a little girl I never had a problem in believing, Santa Claus, the Tooth-fairy, the Easter Bunny, leprechauns, fairies and wishing on a star were all real and a part of my life. I loved to read fairy-tales, myths and legends, immerse myself in these magical multilayered worlds filled with colours and never ending possibilities, they all seemed so real and enticing. I loved letting myself believe in the impossible and knew that anything could be true. I waited for Peter Pan and his fairy-dust to appear and let me fly.
Sadly as I grew up I learned about gravity and other forces that hold our world in place and sometimes our minds. I formed opinions, beliefs and ideas about myself, people and the world in general, slowly shutting down the doors and windows of my mind, restricting myself in what I believed could, would and should be possible.
But when I read quotes like the one above my inner child jumps up and down wanting to grab a hanky and jump off a roof just to see if she can fly. She wants to wander down to the bottom of the garden and have a tea-party with the fairies that live in the flowers there, she can’t help but believe each rabbit she sees hopping across the field has Easter-eggs hidden away, or that Santa really knows how naughty she’s been and when a rainbow appears in the sky she looks out for the tell-tale signs of those cheeky wee leprechauns.
So while yes, we need our opinions and experiences to help lead the way and navigate through the tricky waters of life, maybe keeping an open mind is what puts wind in our sails and lets us enjoy the unexpected and unknown. Instead of locking up our minds to the new and unexplored we should air out our thoughts and dare to see beyond what we know and maybe, just maybe fairy-dust will make us fly.
jensinewall 