Delusions I Rely On

Dear Nicholas, I’ve given up on being completely sensible, realistic, no-nonsense (I never made a lot of effort in that direction.) I’ve realized that some outright delusions are good for my happiness and mental health. I think of these ideas as optimism, which works for matters large and small.

I realized one morning recently when I was cleaning a hairbrush that I have an underlying network of wackily hopeful unspoken  beliefs.

Delusion 1.  Hair removed from a hairbrush will mysteriously reappear on my head. Must be sure to rescue every last hair.

And so I asked myself what other such “principles” I rely on.

Delusion 2. Medical research is going to develop cures just in the nick of time for whatever might threaten to kill me.

Delusion 3. Immortality is therefore possible.

Delusion 4. Catching up on reading magazines is an important accomplishment.

Getting Things Right

Delusion 5. If I do everything correctly as a helpful caregiving spouse, Husband Bob will live forever. (Okay, maybe this creates pressure that isn’t so good for mental health, but it does help me remember things I need to keep up with.)

 

Delusion 6. I’m only a few more crunches from looking the way I did fifty years ago. I’m going to get around to doing those any minute.

Delusion 7. I’m only one more accomplishment, beauty product, or self-help book from being a complete person who need not worry about further improvement.

The Big One

Delusion 8. Anything is possible. This one I rely on the most.  While I recognize the looniness of some of these others, this is one that I seem to see as founded in reality. Because we don’t know what is going to happen. Much of our world runs on developments once considered impossible.

This anything-is-possible idea is at the heart of my novels, which are all stories of the spiritual/supernatural at work in the physical world. I’m sticking with this “delusion.” Anything is possible.

Am I the only one who relies on a delusion or few? Or is it a common human habit?

Peggy

 

 

 

 

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Tags: anything is possible, caregiving spouse, complete person, completely sensible, create pressure, delusions, delusions to rely on, getting things right, happiness and mental health, immortality possible, no-nonsense