2014: Strange Gift

I did get a strange gift this year. Not a physical one nor an emotional one. It was a mental one and, undoubtedly, the result of my neuroplastic exercises. There is this amazing finding by scientists that the brain is plastic, no plastic in terms of the composing material, but plastic in that it can keep taking new shapes (and skills) all throughout one's lifetime. The technical term is Neuroplasticity. And it proves through a lot of research that when we use our brain differently than we used to, when we try to be competent at something we are not naturally good at and work hard at it, our brains change and take up a new form to enable us reach the competence level we seek at the new task. I don't know if you've heard about this saying that a mind once stretched by a new idea never returns to its former size. It was by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I think in the light of the new research findings, it is the brain that changes when you try something new.

image: whatisneuroplasticity.com

So what is the special gift I got?
You've probably come across one of my posts where I mentioned that in 2010 I began brushing with my left hand after reading in some academic articles that by using my left hand more as a right-handed person, I will unlock new skills as my brain adapts by creating new neural paths to less used areas of my brain.

I think there is some practical truth in the theory. Since brushing with my left hand I have become better at using my left hand, especially for brushing. A new skill. I have also become better at remembering colors, faces and shapes. But this year I got something bigger. And I think having to write daily also contributed to this. I got the gift of movie-length dreams, rich in special effects and complex plots. I am now even considering writing a thrilling fiction or sell a forward thinking nollywood producer a great movie script.

In a day, if I sleep long enough, I could come up with two blockbusters. In the Dreamers' Pyramid there are three categories of dreamers. There are those who dream in black and white; they don't remember or notice colors and smells in their dreams. Then there are those who dream only non-fiction, they only dream about what has happened or is very likely to happen. And, finally, they are people like the new me who dream Academy Award winning dreams. Five years ago I was in the category one -- black and white dreamer.

It's a strange gift I got this year and I think it's a good one. For one, I don't get to bother about any of my dreams coming to pass. They are all fictions. I have seen people who fret about what they saw in a dream thinking it might come to pass. Not me. Then I don't have nightmares. If I have a dream that is more like a horror movie and I don't like the way it ends, when I wake up, I simply sleep back and edit the movie. I know it sounds funny and strange, but that's what I do. I am able to go back into my dream and change whatever scene I don't like. And that's why I call it a strange gift.