A SUMMER OF DAY DREAMING.
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Story by Subashini Nadarajah
Part of this summer was spent daydreaming. Lots of it.
When I was little, my parents called me “The Butterfly.” My mind was always wandering, drifting from one thought to another, discovering art and wondering about the people who created it, fluttering from one idea to the next. Some habits, it seems, never leave us.
Perhaps that isn’t such a bad thing.
At Satsang Living, we often talk about the practice of noticing: slowing down long enough to see what might otherwise pass us by. Daydreaming, I’ve come to realize, can be part of that practice. A little space for the mind to wander without needing to arrive anywhere.
The first part of my summer wasn’t measured in miles traveled or places discovered. Instead, it was measured in chapters read, teacups emptied, prayers and meditation, conversations shared, and quiet afternoons filled with thoughts on paper.
Some days asked everything of me. Others asked nothing at all.
There was healing too, the kind that cannot be hurried. Four medical procedures, an unexpected case of shingles, and the quiet practice of accepting what the body required rather than what the mind had planned.
Travel became smaller and closer to home. There was a drive to Hudson, Wisconsin, and a long weekend with two cherished friends, Chuck and Peg Hoffman. There is something deeply nourishing about spending time with people who share our curiosities, yet see the world through entirely different eyes. Perhaps that is part of what Satsang means to me, the gathering of people around a table, each bringing a different perspective, a different story, a different way of noticing.
Chuck and Peg are artists and designers. Though retired from their corporate careers, they have never retired from being creative. Art and design remain part of their everyday lives, a way of staying curious, making, observing, and continually filling their creative bowls. Our love for art and design is different, yet similar in so many ways, and I always leave their company seeing something I hadn't noticed before.
A long weekend with them is always fuel for the soul. There are conversations about art and design, meals around the table, walks, laughter, and the simple pleasure of being in the company of people who continue to be curious about the world.
And then there is Mira, their miniature Border Collie, who might be the most enthusiastic practitioner of noticing among us. Every walk is an exploration. Every sound deserves attention. Every path is worth investigating. Watching her is a small reminder that perhaps noticing doesn't need to be complicated. It begins with curiosity, the willingness to wander, to look a little closer, and to remain delighted by what we find. Maybe that is what the best kind of company does for us. It doesn't simply fill our time. It refills our creative bowl and sends us back into the world noticing a little more.
I longed for Malaysia, too for Amma, family, and the familiarity of home. That journey will have to wait a little longer. Sometimes part of mindful travel is also knowing when not to go.
And so Kansas City became exactly what this season needed it to be.
After calling the city home for thirty-five years, I returned expecting it to be a place I would simply pass through. Instead, it became a place of recovery, reflection, and unexpected grace. Friends, familiar places, the joyful company of four-legged companions, and quiet corners offered their own kind of journey.
Perhaps that is what this slower summer reminded me most. Not every meaningful journey is measured by how far we go.
Sometimes we travel inward. Sometimes we revisit familiar places with different eyes. Sometimes we sit still long enough to notice what has been there all along.
And sometimes, we simply daydream.
What follows is a small photo journal from that season, moments that filled my creative bowl and, in many ways, my heart. An invitation, perhaps, to wander a little. Notice a little more. And make room for a little daydreaming of your own.
The Case for a Little Daydreaming:
And perhaps there is something to be said for making room for a wandering mind. Research suggests that when we step away from focused work and allow our thoughts to wander, we can create space for new connections, unexpected ideas, and creative insight. One well-known study found that simple, undemanding activities that encouraged mind-wandering helped participants return to a creative problem with stronger ideas; more recent research has also found a relationship between mind-wandering during creative “incubation” and improved creative performance. Mindfulness offers another part of the equation helping us return, notice, and pay attention with intention. Perhaps creativity needs a little of both: the freedom to wander and the awareness to notice what we find along the way.
References:
Baird, B., Smallwood, J., Mrazek, M. D., et al. (2012). Inspired by Distraction: Mind Wandering Facilitates Creative Incubation. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1117–1122.
McDaniel, C., Habibi, A., & Kaplan, J. (2025). Mind Wandering During Creative Incubation Predicts Increases in Creative Performance in a Writing Task. Scientific Reports, 15, 24629.
Hughes, Z., Ball, L. J., Richardson, C., et al. (2023). A Meta-Analytical Review of the Impact of Mindfulness on Creativity. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 30, 2155–2186.
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