Most of us have been in a situation where we have had a few minutes to just let our minds wander. It happens sometimes when we are stuck in traffic or waiting in a check-out line. It happened to me today as I was driving down a country road. My mind checked out into another world and for a brief time I was day dreaming of my future with God in eternity.

Day dreaming has gotten a bad rap over the centuries but there are so many more positives associated with day dreaming than there are negatives, that I think we need to set aside some time just to day dream.

A mental image of a little boy sitting at a school desk staring out the window comes to my mind when I think about day dreaming. Where is that kid? What is he thinking about? How long will he be gone and what does it take to bring him back into the classroom?

Day dreamers have been ridiculed because they are not being productive. It is believed that day dreamers aren’t doing anything when they disappear into that other realm. But data is proving that day dreaming gives our minds a break, it’s like a mini vacation. It can help us with problem solving and often births new ideas.

As I was doing some research about the subject, I was surprised to find out that many people we consider geniuses were day dreamers. It is said that Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Beethoven and Walt Disney would visualize success in their areas of expertise through day dreaming.

The noted pastor and author Norman Vincent Peale once said, “Change your thoughts and you change the world.” He also said, “Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture…Do not build up obstacles in your imagination.”

I guess basically we are what we think we are and if we spend our time focusing on our positive attributes and seeking solutions to our problems, then maybe we will adapt and overcome.

It may be overkill to quote Peale again, but as the author of “The Power of Positive Thinking,” he is the authority on that subject. He said, “If you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations, you put yourself into a condition conducive to your goal.”

Day dreaming can help us reach our goals if we use our day dreams in a positive way. I suppose most of us have had moments when we imagined how we could get even with someone who wronged us. We have probably had thoughts to do harm to someone, but even those non-positive thoughts were helping us overcome a problem without resorting to violence or harm. We need to take those thoughts a step further and imagine a reconciliation with the person we wanted to harm.

When your world seems to be caving in on you and you don’t have anywhere to turn, take a mini vacation. Your day dreams can take you anywhere you chose to go. I usually set my mind on things above and find myself conversing with the God of the universe. My day dreams almost always take me to heaven. That is the place I long for the most and I can’t think of a lovelier place to be.