I’m quoting this piece about Walking on an Asphalt River because it awakened in me memories of the joy felt when I’ve sat there and taken the time to let my imagination run wild.
Yesterday afternoon, I stood in my driveway and looked at the black asphalt road passing by my house. I asked myself what if the asphalt was liquid and the road was a river. What a river it is, flowing everywhere people live. Six degrees of separation pale in comparison.
I imagined wading into the river up to my neck which awarded me with a smile. Not a bad return for playing with imagination a little. After spending a few more minutes picturing myself also in the road, I moved on to what I set out to do. I walked onto the asphalt road. Ahhh, there! A flicker of amazement visits me. I am walking on water! With that, I walked safely back to my driveway with an even bigger smile.
Such a seemingly simple activity — the conscious application of our imagination to take us somewhere new and to see new perspectives of the world. William Issacs, author of Dialogue and the art of thinking together, suggests the following exercise to help you participate in the world.
Try looking at a tree. You may find it immediately associations occur to you—the wish to be outdoors, the name “tree,” the kind of tree, thoughts about the health of the tree. Can you gradually release these thoughts, one at a time, and simply be present to perceive the tree? As each thought about the tree arises, just notice it and let it go. If you do, you may find that the tree almost seems more alive, more “there,” perhaps more distinctive than you had once thought. It may even become unfamiliar in a way. You’re starting to participate more directly your experience of the tree.