Fingernail Land

I couldn't think of an idea for a post, and that's when the idea struck. I should write a post about ideas (because I have no other ideas). I know, it's a really dumb idea. That's why it's perfect! I needed something to write, and this is something.

Often times, I get story ideas at 1 AM, or any time when I'm trying to fall asleep. Why? Because while I'm falling asleep, my magical brain comes up with strange images, such as donkeys riding on top of leprechauns, and then I come up with the brilliant idea to write a story about a world in which everyone is slave to the donkey-leprechaun empire.

Okay, I made that up on the spot but you get the idea.

My brother named this strange in-between dream world "Fingernail Land." It is a place that makes absolutely no sense. Hence, its really nonsense name. It's a land of make-believe because your brain can't separate what is possible from fantasies. That's why people see images of floating eyeballs shooting lazerbeams that destroy the earth, and they don't become alarmed. They simply acknowledge the thought and let it pass without worry because something like that is suddenly completely normal to their brain.

It's the main spur of imagination: complete randomness. To most, the thought of living in a world that makes no sense, such as the world in which Alice In Wonderland is based, seem hilariously funny. Something that makes no sense is simply something that can be laughed away. But that is exactly why we can't take our random nightly thoughts lightly. Those thoughts are funny because they are terrifying.

Have you ever giggled during a horror movie just to cover up the eerie noises with a more welcoming sound? Have you ever pointed at a monster in a photo and made fun of it because the thought of that monster being real and standing right behind you lurked at the back of your mind? I have. I've covered my fear with nervous laughs and sarcastic remarks enough times to know that it's a tactic my mind came up with to keep myself from going insane out of fear.

Sure, when you're laying in bed and a lake full of glowing roses pops into your head, it might not seem scary. But the fact that your brain could create such a strangely alluring image with no effort at all is something that should scare people.

Yet, it doesn't. All of those world in books written by people that you will never meet aren't scary either, even when the characters' world isn't real and will never be real. Isn't that strange?

I'm not sure where I wanted to go with this post, but at the moment I don't think that really matters. At the moment, nobody reads these, so I can basically say whatever I want and not get arrested or yelled at. I won't say anything that'll get me arrested (unless a world run by donkeys riding leprechauns is illegal), but you get the picture.

I thought I had a thousand things to say, and I do, but writing down the things that my brain comes up with on the spot is actually harder than it looks. I mean, it isn't, but it is. Okay, now I'm just confusing myself.

I just realized that I should be talking about Fingernail Land. That is the title of this post, after all. M'kay, give me a second to organize my thoughts and then I'll-

What?!

You seriously thought I could organize my thoughts? Wow. You're more gullible than I thought. I don't even know you, and yet... I'm judging you.

That's something that Fingernail Land doesn't do. It doesn't judge you. (Did you see that transition I just did?) Fingernail Land doesn't poke and prod at your flaws. It doesn't tell you that what you're thinking is wrong or weird. It just exists. It's just there. In all honesty, Fingernail Land reminds me of a meditation technique I've followed before. Unsurprisingly, this technique makes me fall asleep.

I'm not sure if there is an official name for this meditating technique, and since I don't know, I'm going to call it the "floating thought" process. Basically, (and if you've ever meditated you'll probably recognize what I'm talking about) while you're breathing and focusing on the movements of your body, if any protruding thoughts come into your mind, you just let them sort of... float away. You don't give them any focus, and merely acknowledge that they exist. This process has gotten me to fall asleep one too many times because it is exactly what you do if you want to fall asleep. Those strange, invasive thoughts just simply... float away.

That's why being a writer is frustrating. Well, for me it is. Just when you're about to sleep, a goat with three eyes pops into your head and suddenly you're thinking, "He knows all." And then you stay up the next three hours trying to figure out why he knows all, and why your dumb(wordIcannotsay) brain said such a terrifying thing to you at such a dead hour of the night.

Okay, I'm freaking myself out, so I think I'm going to finally wrap this up by saying don't worry about Fingernail Land. If you do, you'll never sleep. Let that rainbow-peeing baby drift into a sky full of screaming armadillos without a care, and just sleep.

Sweet dreams, mystery reader.