If you're like me, you can slip into a daydream faster than the speed of light.  And if the experts are right, we spend a sizable amount of our waking hours in a dreamy state.  But it's not all bad, because daydreams can be very useful.  This week you'll learn a bit about how to put them to work for you.

At the same time, we're also talking about those daydreams you had when you were a kid.  What did you want to be when you grew up? (I can assure you, "drycleaner" wasn't even in my vocabulary.) Most of us put aside the glamorous daydreams and got real jobs.  But that doesn't mean your wardrobe can't still tell the world who you really are inside. Find out how by reading on.

No matter whether you're a dreamer, or you're living a dream come true, we're here to keep the garments that go with it looking great.  We hope to see you soon.

Jim Nixon
The Cleaners

Daydreaming Factoid

• One researcher has determined that we spend 8 HOURS A DAY daydreaming!
• The older we get, the less we daydream.
• You can make your daydreaming more productive.

Dream of a Coupon

While you're off daydreaming, we'll be taking care of your clothes.  This coupon is a real dreamer's delight -- take $5 off your next order of $10 or more of drycleaning!  (Include the first page of this e-mail with your order. Offer expires July 5, 2003. Cannot be combined with other offers.)

The stuff that dreams are made of...

We daydream so much we don't even realize we're doing it. As children, we incorporated daydreams into our play and used it to get us over rough spots in our lives. Growing up, we began to dream more specifically, and it shaped our life goals. Strangely enough, as we reach our later years, we daydream a lot less than when we were younger -- either because we've achieved our dreams, or we realize there's less time left to make them come true.

Why do we daydream? A healthy brain does it in order to prepare things for long-term memory. It also brings the right brain (the creative side) into the process of planning that the left brain (the logical, rule-bound side) does so well, and gives that extra sparkle to how we think. Daydreaming helps us make sense of things we've experience, and gets us organized for what's ahead. If we're not actively engaged in concentration on something, chances are we're daydreaming -- up to 70% of the time.

Types of Daydreams

There are lots of kinds of daydreams.  Here are major ones:

• Movies in your head -- the out-and-out fantasy life that we all have. This is the kind of thing that allows you to live different lives, like Walter Mitty, without the peril or consequences.
• Sorting it out -- You had a rough talk with the boss, and your head replays it over and over, each time with you adjusting what you said until you finally get it right. Or, you had a particularly wonderful day, and you just want to impress it into your memory forever. Daydreaming through it again will help do that.
• Brainstorming -- If you've ever been asked to "come up with something for this" and sat in front of a blank sheet of paper, you were letting your mind free-associate different ideas, and jotting them down. Your left brain was trying to keep you within perameters, but you gave your right brain free reign to be outrageous, hoping something wonderful would come from it.
• Getting ahead of the game -- Some people seem to be very good at what they do, and make it appear effortless. Many of those people, however, have "walked through" the motions of whatever they must do in daydreams, so when they actually do it, it's easier. Surgeons do it, as do athletes. And if you've got a hectic day ahead, you probably run through the list of everything that must be accomplished and prioritize it, visualizing yourself getting it all done.
• Blanking out -- Sometimes you go off on a daydreaming journey, and you have no idea where you've been.  You've been staring out the window for ten minutes, not moving, but haven't a clue what your mind was doing. Don't be embarrassed... we all do it!

Making daydreams productive.

If you use daydreams to plan out your day or a project of some kind, you already know the value of mentally running through the motions beforehand. So, take that knowledge and use it consciously.

Daydreamers who set out to put their minds in idle gear with a specific project in mind can often come up with solutions to whatever they're thinking about.  For instance, you can't quite figure out why the boss won't go for your idea. So, instead of stewing on it, you go out and do a little weeding in the garden on Saturday, consciously thinking that you need an idea he'll accept. You think you're totally engaged in the weeding, but suddenly a light goes on in your head and you realize he doesn't like the idea because it reminds him of his age. Bingo! You can re-tailor it and he'll buy it. Your daydreaming session paid off.

Using daydreams to firm up plans or create ideas is making use of that 70% of the time when you are otherwise on some other planet.

So what's this got to do with clothes?

We've talked many times about finding your own unique style. If you're still groping for that "look" that says YOU to the world, daydreaming can help.

When you were a kid, you dreamed of being something -- an archeologist or a nurse, a doctor or a jazz singer, a fireman or a ballerina. In reality, you might not even LIKE what the people do who are what you wanted to be; you were attracted to certain qualities about that profession.  Qualities like intelligence, compassion, unpredictability, strength, gracefulness.

So, even if you didn't get to become what you wanted when you were 8 years old, you have probably cultivated those qualities nonetheless, and you can let the world see them at a glance in your clothing -- if your look is YOU.

Here are some descriptive phrases. Which one(s) describe how you'd like to be sized up when someone looks at you for the first time?

• I'm creative
• I'm hip
• I'm sexy
• I'm a fashion victim
• I'm super trendy
• I'm very classic
• I'm sporty
• I'm young
• I'm trying to look young
• I'm dramatic
• I don't like my body
• I love, love, love my body
• I'm a mess and I don't care
• I'm confused
• I'm very neat and proper
• I'm interesting
• I'm eccentric
• I'm special
• I want your attention

Now think about your wardrobe.  Does it say the same thing about you as the phrase(s) you circled above? If not, it's time to rethink. You may be wearing clothes someone (a parent, a friend) told you you "should" wear, and have never broken out of the mould.

Tips for maintaining YOUR look.

• Remember that your look will change over time.  As you get older, your skin tones and your hair will change color.  So should your wardrobe. Your body will also be reshaping itself, and you should accommodate it, not punish it.  If you haven't changed your look in 5 years, it's time to re-evaluate.
• Buy what FITS, not the size you want to be. Your vanity may say to buy the size 10, but if you're really a 12, buy the 12.  Wearing the 10 will be uncomfortable, and you'll look like a stuffed sausage. The 12 will look fabulous!  Besides, when's the last time someone actually pulled your tag up to see what size you were wearing?  They really don't care.
• Super trendy clothes are generally best when you're in your late teens and 20s. By the time you reach your 30s, you're settling into your life better, and should have a style that's more distinctive. When you hit 40, you also hit your stride and your look should speak of that self confidence. In your 50s and 60s, you're free to enjoy the fruits of some of your hard work, and you can relax your style rules a bit. In your 70s and beyond, wear what's comfortable, what's convenient, and above all what you LIKE!  You've earned it.
• You don't have to ignore what's in style if it doesn't coincide with your look.  Take the stylish trends apart and find the bits and pieces that really work with your personal look and temperament -- and adapt them to supplement the clothes you've already got to freshen them and make them look "in".

A few Links for Learning:

• What your clothes say about you.
• Beauty Beyond 50 -- How to adapt your look, your beauty regime and your life to be beautiful at any age.
• Why we daydream.
• The Inner Game of Life: Daydreaming.
• Fashion Victim's Lament: Why Not on Me?
• Developing a Personal Style
• Men's clothing styles -- What impression does your style of business dress give?