Summary

The article discusses the difference between outside-the-lines and inside-the-lines thinking, encouraging readers to embrace their creative potential.

Abstract

The author reflects on their own thought processes, contrasting their youthful tendency to let their imagination run wild with their current, more controlled approach to thinking. The article suggests that while it's important to manage one's thoughts and not venture into unnecessary worry, it's equally important to engage in creative thinking. The author uses personal anecdotes and humor to illustrate the value of imaginative "what if" scenarios, advocating for a balance between practicality and creativity to avoid the pitfalls of a purely routine-driven existence.

Opinions

The author believes in the power of creative thinking and encourages readers to activate their own imaginative capabilities.
There is a humorous acknowledgment that unchecked imaginative thinking can lead to absurd conclusions, such as mistaking a commuter for a serial killer.
The author advises against overindulging in creative thinking, especially for those unaccustomed to it, to prevent becoming overwhelmed or distracted from reality.
Practical, repetitive thoughts are likened to a "humdrum switch" that can lead to "carpal-tunnel-brain syndrome," suggesting a need for balance with more creative thinking.
The article playfully suggests that engaging in imaginative thinking can provide an escape from the mundane aspects of life and the stress of "oh, no!" moments.
The author seems to value the ability to think outside the box, as demonstrated by their disdain for numbers and preference for creative "word problems."

What Kind Of Thinker Are You?

Are You An Outside-The-Lines Or Inside-The-Lines Thinker?

When I drive to work in the morning, I don’t think about the waxy buildup on my kitchen floor. I think about the tarp in the pickup truck in front of me and how there might be a body underneath it.

Should I take a picture of the license plate and send it to the FBI tip line?

But then I remember the ’80s and my mistaken sighting of the Son of Sam on a Metro-North train. The person of interest wore a rumpled suit and a creepy grin that screamed: “It’s him!”— It wasn’t! — I found out weeks later after filing a police report.

In those days, my thoughts often drifted far outside the lines. Though, I was young enough to be excused for mistaking a bedraggled commuter for a serial killer.

Now, I have better control of my thoughts and tell them when not to venture into the dark place beneath the tarp. “Stand down,” I say aloud, knowing that anyone who sees me won’t think I’m crazy because of the Bluetooth earpiece defense.

I instruct my thoughts to move on to something less sinister, like the frozen food section at the Stop & Shop where the elderly stop to talk to me. But my thoughts veer down another aisle instead. And I think about how the people who cut me off with their cars in the parking lot are the same people who cut me off with their carts at the produce stand.

“How come my brain doesn’t work like yours?” you ask. “Why can’t I think outside-the-lines as you do?”

Well, my inside-the-lines thinking friend. Your brain might not come with instructions, but it does come with a creative function. Remember what Glinda the Good Witch told Dorothy at the end of The Wizard of Oz? — “You had the ability to get home all along.”

Well, you had the ability to think outside-the-lines all along.

Turn off the practical humdrum switch in your brain, comforted by lists, numbers and repetitive actions that can cause carpal-tunnel-brain syndrome, and let your thoughts stretch your imagination.

While driving to work in the morning, think about that weird clerk at the pharmacy with the crooked nose and pink-framed glasses. Was she human or goblin?

Start to play the “what if” game that outside-the-lines thinkers love to play. What if the clerk got zapped by a gamma ray before filling your prescription, and turned into a goblin?

What if aliens captured your husband while he was in the shower and that’s really a doppelgänger husband tucking his shirt into his pants?

Yes, you can be as weird as I am.

But use your new powers sparingly at first. Some inside-the-line thinkers have been known to overuse their creative powers before becoming familiar with them. They end up in a white padded room obsessing over that word problem they got wrong in sixth-grade math:

“What time will a train arrive in Los Angeles if it leaves New York City at 3 a.m., stops in Chicago for an hour while you spend thirty minutes at a pizzeria buried in an avalanche of extra cheese?”

Blurg! Gurgle! Splurg! Numbers, they’re so calculating; they try to disguise themselves as words but can’t hide their stubby little digits.

That’s why on days when things don’t add up, I stop trying to figure them out and start playing the “what if” game, an outside-the-lines getaway from the “oh, no!” moments in life.

This article originally appeared on Huffington Post.

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