As a child I think often found myself wondering what if?
My mother would be annoyed with me asking over and over what if, what if...
It was away in my mind following a train of thought beyond and beyond. And after that I would continue to imagine what else could be a parallel reality. I understand why she was irritated. There was no end in sight. No satisfaction. No silencing the worry-warted beast within.
It is another branch of a symptom of a vivid imagination, this wondering what if.
And at that time maybe it was also another way to stall off making decisions. If we go for it, if we try something, then we must stick to our guns and live with the consequences. Going for it means not wondering what if... Or at least it means not allowing what-ifs to slow you down.
But it can also be empowering. What if also allows the imagination to roam freely, shutting up the judging mind. It can be your mind full of goblins and ghosts and goons your worst nightmares, it can be full of all the possibilities you never dreamed of before.
What if can be a powerful tool to be used for both ill or for good, to motivate or pause the action, to entertain the mind, amuse the heart, or stall the nay-sayers.
I'm sure I will never stop asking what if...
Sometimes a long series of "but what if..." questions is just a way to delay bedtime too. Like, "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." ;-)
ReplyDeleteIf your mother had taken a step back from her own desire to reassure you, she might have thought to ask you to answer your own question. Wonder what that might have brought up...