my mind trips

Circumstances give me very little opportunity to leave the space my shoe-loving feet have carved out in this minuscule place in the world where I live.

Around the city, to and from nearby beaches and vacation spots, in and out of the kids' school, shopping places, coffee places, the gym. Really, the radius my steps have been confined to, when you compare it to the frequent fliers or missionaries of this world, may seem almost insignificant. The path is worn, yet there's always more to see, so I'm not complaining. And just like a worn-out sweater, rug, blanket, or pillow it can get comfortable and safe.

There are days, though, when restlessness creeps in and my regular places aren't an option. The bathroom, which offers solace most times, loses its appeal. Even shopping becomes a chore. Then I become creative. I go tripping... in my mind.



No need for chemical and organic aids. My regular cup of coffee does nicely many times. Naturally, my trips are nowhere near psychedelic, often lacking in grand tapestry of colors and textures. No words like cacophony describe it. No multitudes of animated creatures and rainbows. Wine, vodka, and martinis are reserved for those fantastic trips. Where I go can sometimes be as mundane as going to what I am actually supposed to do in a few hours, but with less of a hassle and more of super powers.

Oh, but I do get musical scoring. This is such an essential ingredient. Sometimes it's actually playing, and helps gets the trip going. Sometimes it's built into my trip, and even takes charge of the itinerary. Once transported, I actually smell where I am and can almost touch what I see around me. I hear voices --- not that kind, no matter how very much in vogue it is now. It's a step beyond imagination, reverie, dreaming. Yes, I sometimes go in a trance-like state, but only because I get fascinated with where my mind takes me.

The difference is I can go back anytime. I snap back into reality when the phone rings, when someone needs me "now", when I remember what I was actually supposed to be busy doing, when the line between my mind travel and dreamland begins to blur, and when the realization that it's all just a mind game overpowers the trip.

Sometimes I get away with looking like I'm just busy or intent on the task at hand (even if it's just watching TV), but many times, I get caught with that glassy far, far away staring into nothing but air look and am guilty of making the excuse that I was just busy thinking. My siblings and my kids have mastered the look, complete with holding a cup of coffee, or rhythmically and slowly stirring the brew. Seriously, they actually act it out -- funny yet scary because they've seen it often enough to do it so well, and I am forced to accept that that is how I actually look during my trips.

I am Java Jiver, a caffeine addict, mind wanderer, mind tripper. I have been free of those fabulous trips for five minutes.


My all-time top five mind trip places and where they take me:

1. My work desk. My notebook/laptop serves as a travel machine. At times it's really just the glare of the monitor that hypnotizes me into my mind game, but many times, I have to confess, it's when I get writer's block. With the latter, I even dare go to a place where I am actually writing my article, proposal, or work plan, edit it, and submit it, right on schedule. It's a place where denial is permitted, so it's all alright.
2. In a coffee place, with a fave-of-the-moment cup. Many times, the sight of all those loud chatterboxes or computer tops just revealing half the faces I love observing, the thrill of watching how people interact, and even usually-enthralling stories in newspapers and the colorful magazine spreads fail to make my coffee break exciting.
3. Spinning class. Once I get my rhythm going, it's easy to take a trip. It starts with visualizing the trip the trainer has prepared for the class... then I go on my own. Not even jumps and hill climbs, or two-minute sprints can take me back to the stationary world the class is actually in. In spinning class, the music -- an all-too important category in choosing which particular class I choose to attend -- and the physically difficult sets actually help me get into the feel of being somewhere else --- biking, of course, the physical excitement crossing paths with the exhilaration from the fab trip I am taking... complete with the wind blowing through my hair and the almost linear landscape that I leave behind, thanks to my speed. In my trip.
4. On the sofa, during times I allow myself to loaf or vegetate. I don't know why I bother to turn on the TV, spread the newspaper in front of me, or set a pile of glossies to browse through, because I almost immediately get started on my journey. This is different from falling asleep on the couch.
5. In the salon or spa. Of course, how could I even begin to resist taking the trip here? Wouldn't it just be wonderful to be somewhere else, maybe closer to nature or in some cosmo place? In the salon, I also am guilty of attempting to leaf through magazines; they lose me at the contributors page.