When you say ‘I’m looking forward to something’, there’s more to it.

So let me remind you once again of how special we are.

How inventive, how creative, and how miraculous we are.

Because looking forward to something is not purely that: it’s just as much ‘feeling forward’.

We’re not simply having flat images, like looking at a cartoon; we can sense how they’d feel.

We’re there, in a way, we’re already there.

We’re in a future that may never even happen, but we feel it anyway.

Just let that sink in.

What’s there is not really there…

That’s way more than simply making up stuff, it’s the full-on creation of intricate, vivid, physical experiences.

I guess we don’t really appreciate this super talent.

It seems we totally take it for granted.

It seems we’re SO used to having these really complete experiences, that we’re never conscious enough to realize what’s actually going on.

That we’re living in a future dream, which feels as real and captivating as anything that’s happening around you right now.

Looking forward to something, a well-deserved holiday, a romantic dinner, or meeting an old friend in a vibrant city, is one of the most amazing things in the world.

By reflecting on these scenes, by thinking about them, we bring them to life.

What’s not there in the moment (and, once again, may never ever be there), is suddenly pulled into awareness.

The future joy is there.

The future excitement and giddiness are there.

The love is there, the fun is there, and even the warmth of the sun and the smell of a pool can be there.

All directly experienced, while none of it is actually happening.

We’re CONSTANTLY painting life, and we never see that, never really get that, and hardly ever celebrate it.

We’re totally amazing and wonderful creators of experience, but we very much dismiss this unique, magical talent.

I’m not saying it’s bad.

Because what happens is what happens and that’s it.

And if we’re supposed to be blasé about something that is essentially incredibly special, well, that’s how it is, and how it obviously works.

I’m just here to remind you of how cool it is.

I’m here to consciously cherish the power of your imagination, and mine.

I’m just telling you, right here and right now, that you’re an incredible artist, that you’re an absolute wizard, and that you’re living in a world that doesn’t ultimately exist, but feels like it does.

Crazy!

And you know what?

I’m really looking forward to the moment you recognize and appreciate it.

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(Photo by @jballa, for Unsplash)