Dear Edith:

I know you’re no expert, but do you know why your mind wanders?

Love, Puzzled

Dear Puzzled:

The mind gets tired of having to come up with thoughts all the time and so it wanders off to get peace of mind. So it can have a five-minute coffee break and come back fresh and alert ready to take more of all that stuff your brain dreams up.
-Edith Ann

I thought this answer was a good one, but there is a lot more to say on this topic I don’t get. How can your mind just wander off on its own — with no warning, no “excuse me please, do you mind if I wander?” Does your mind have its own mind? Does your mind make plans to go away from the constant stress of having to wait around till you make up your mind about something?

What’s it thinking about when you’re not thinking about anything? When you draw a blank and can’t remember something, is it your mind’s fault? And when you suddenly can recall something you’ve forgotten, what’s going on inside our brain?

Is forgetting something a relief to the mind? Is it like your memory is taking a vacation or something?

Am I using my brain or is my brain using me?

Where does a new thought come from?

When you want to forget something you did that happened, why can’t you just forget it? What is it that won’t let you forget?

Your brain will help you make up a lie — then turns right around and makes you feel guilty that you lied.

When you tell yourself, “It’s all in my mind,” you’re telling it all to your mind.

When you talk to yourself, your brain knows what you’re saying even when you don’t move your lips.

Who else is even listening when we talk to ourselves? We don’t have to talk out loud. Does that mean the brain has its own ears?

When you have a good idea, how do you know it’s a good idea?

When you have a closed mind, is it your mind doing the opening and closing or is it you?

When you’re thinking of someone and they call you and say they were thinking of you, which brain gets the credit?

Why does your brain help you figure out certain things — but with other things it just adds to the confusion?

When I say, “What am I thinking?” what do I mean by that and why should I even have to ask these questions of my own mind?

Can you trust your brain not to spy on you? I don’t think so.

When I understand something, did I just use my brain to help me understand this something or is my brain just making me think I understand?

Why is it I almost never know what I’m going to think of next? Shouldn’t I have a hint at least? Why don’t I know? If our hearts behaved this way, we’d all be dead as doornails.

If our hearts behaved this way, we’d all be as totally confused about what we feel as much as we’re confused about what we think. When you think about it, the heart does behave this way.