Friday, February 27, 2009

Imagine

With the weekend finally upon us, it got me thinking about the imagination. As adults, we're taught to push our imaginations to the side and face reality. Get a job, buy a house, pay your bills, yadda, yadda, yadda, and so on and so forth. But the imagination is a powerful force and it will creep up on you. The key is to allow it access - give in and let the imagination take control. Dream a little. It'll amaze you what you come up with.

Think back to when you were a kid and the crazy stories you came up with in your head. It was so easy! I remember imagining that my measly tree house in the backyard was a palace, and a simple blanket thrown over a coffee table in our living room created a fortress that couldn't be broken into, no matter how many things my brother threw at it. A pile of bricks stacked up in the back your house somehow became a beautiful home with a fully functional kitchen and a comfortable bedroom in the back. It was amazing what my mind could come up with. I could entertain myself 24 hours a day, no problem. Mom and dad leave me home alone? Create a fantasy world upstairs. No one can come over to play today? Dream up 3 new friends. Nothing on TV tonight? Create and star in my own movie. The imagination was your home away from home when you were a child. And why, just because we're older and have more responsibilities than just color within the lines, should we let go of that? Now more than ever we need something to help us take our mind off the everyday worries that life brings. I love to take some time out of everyday - it could just be 5 minutes - and sit down and put to paper what's in my head. It could be a funny story I was thinking about or an idea I came up with. Whatever it is, I believe it's healthy to exercise our imaginations like that rather that bottle them up.

My challenge to you this weekend is to use your imagination and do something creative/fun/childish/downright crazy these next few days. Be carefree for a moment and let your imagination run wild. There's really nothing like the feeling of being a kid again - it's just a rush of joy.

Happy Friday!

Quote of the Day: "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create." - Albert Einstein

Tidbit for Today: Start a journal of story ideas. These ideas could stem from dreams, experiences, family....your pool of resources is endless. This type of journaling exercises the imagination and expands your mind. Plus it's fun to look back later and see what you came up with. Pick up a nice, leather-bound journal from the Papyrus store and get a fancy pen - I feel it adds to the experience.

1 comment:

  1. Wow...I've been thinking about the exact same thing for the past few days! And I almost wrote about it! Great minds must really think alike =)

    (I promise to stop taking over your comments at some point...hehe...)

    ReplyDelete