Woolgathering means an idle or absentminded indulgence in daydreaming. Woolgathering is a combination of the words wool and gathering and it originated around the 1550’s.
Actual woolgathering is the act of gathering tufts of loose wool that got caught on bushes and fences and the like as sheep passed by and those who were woolgathering probably seemed a bit aimless in their task. By the mid 1500’s woolgathering began to appear in figurative phrases such as going a-woolgathering (letting one’s mind wander aimlessly.
Lost in though, a woolgathering delight, surrounded by beauty as my thoughts take flight…
I have often heard the phrase “you woolgathering?” since I am prone to daydreaming or simply spacing out so I’ve always had a special fondness for the word. Are you a woolgatherer?
Namaste ~ Ella
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Lawhimsy 