For several years now I have realized that people think in at least
two dominant ways: in a crockpot sort of way or like a microwave.
During these past seven weeks of recovery from open heart sur-
gery I have been able to distinguish the differences between the
two ways of thinking in my life. I once thought that I was either a
crockpot thinker or a microwave thinker, but never both. I now rea-
lize that there are times that I think in one way and later in the other,
or even in both ways at the same time.
I have often tended to see myself as a crockpot type of thinker. My
thinking was more of a gradual process than a quick cooking of ideas
and thoughts. As a thinker I was more like the plodding tortoise than
the blazing fast hare. Ideas and thoughts would suddenly come to me
after a considerable time of pondering a matter, or even after letting a
concern rest for some period of time. This often meant that I would
come up with witty remarks or brilliant comebacks well after the per-
son for whom they were intended had gone away. I carry 3x5 note
cards and a pen with me so that I can quickly write down ideas, in-
sights, or thoughts that come to me in the least expected times. This
way of thinking is like a crockpot: it takes a long period of time to cook
a good meal, and you can keep adding stuff as the meal cooks.
But I also notice that microwave thinking is a part of my life. There
have always been times when I had to make a reasonable decision
within a short amount of time or quickly form sentences and para-
graphs as I wrote papers or my dissertation. I did not have the lux-
ury of time to process an idea, or I was facing a looming deadline.
Many times I have had ideas that suddenly came to me and I was able
to run with them and put them into practice with little time spent in re-
flection. There always seemed to be a momentum that quickly led to
resolution of an issue or problem. There are all kinds of things, whether
problem solving, writing, decision making, remembering directions, or
engaging in conversation with somebody, when microwave thinking
was clearly needed.
I became increasingly aware of these two ways of thinking in me dur-
ing my time of recovery after surgery. My brain seemed to be set on
a crockpot mode of thinking, and churned out ideas, thoughts, connec-
tions, and insights at all hours of the day, and continues right up to the
present moment. I have been filling 3x5 card after 3x5 card with the
results of the lengthy process of the activity of my mind. I don't force
these thoughts, they just come. I don't think I do anything to promote
this, I just receive the results of the processes of my brain.
In contrast, my microwave style of thinking seemed to disappear.
From the days just after surgery until just a few days ago I noticed
that I had serious difficulties focusing, concentrating, doing basic rea-
soning, making decisions, giving or following directions, reading, con-
versing, and writing. I realized how much I took for granted that way
of thinking. Fortunately, over the past three weeks, my mind has been
clearing and the mental fog has been lifting. My mental processes seem
to be back on line. The only processes I still have to wait for are my abil-
ity to think, write, and read in an academic mode. But I sense that is
coming soon.
I desire that my crockpot and microwave modes of thinking may soon
work together, especially as I get back to work on my dissertation. I
put crackpot into the title because it is a reminder for me to guard
against taking my thoughts too seriously. I put premium value on my
mind and what I think, and there is a danger in that. In reality I do not
see myself to be a crackpot, but I need to constantly remind myself
that my mind and my thinking are only dimensions of who I am. So,
to refer to myself as a crackpot is to remind myself to put my mind
in its appropriate place in my life. May I never lose sight of that.
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