sharing a secret

I have something to share with you.  It’s a secret ingredient for life that you may have forgotten about but makes life oh so much MORE.  No, it's not a fancy extract made from rare vanilla beans found only in the deep rainforests of Brazil.  It's better and free.  Starts with an 'I' ends with 'ation'. 

Let’s take it back for a minute.  For me, the highlight of being a kid was the large amount of playtime incurred.  There was nothing better than hearing those three words come out of my Mom's mouth when the chores were done 'Now go play!’ Growing up, I had the classic 80's toys - Cabbage Patch, Strawberry Shortcake, Colorforms, Gnip Gnop (google that if you like old school fun).  On the weekends, my brother and I usually played outside until the sun went down and school nights were spent squeezing in as much play before bed as possible.

My Mom was the master of creating space for play in my daily life.  But not in the typical way. She didn’t buy toy after toy, overpopulating my room until I became like that scene in the movie E.T. You know the scene, the one where he’s hiding in the closet but you can’t find him because he’s completely surrounded by stuffed animals.  Instead my Mom gave me one ULTIMATE toy, a skill that would carry over into my adult life and help me discover who I am today.  She taught me how to use my IMAGINATION.

That’s it.  That’s the secret ingredient.  Imagination. 

Imagination really is responsible for some of my best playtimes.  It took everything to the next level.  It transformed my bedroom into a donut shop where I served my mom fresh baked goodies with a 'hot' cup of 'coffee'.  It turned our neighbor's backyard into the Death Star with storm troopers at every corner and laser beams flying (with perfectly timed sound effects courtesy of my brother).  If not for imagination, the donut shop was just a bedroom and the backyard was just a patch of grass.

So uh…what happened?  Fast forward to adult life and well, it's a bit sub-par when it comes to this stuff.  It’s like life did a Matrix on us all and wiped out the memory of imaginary play.  Now the highlight of my day is crossing stuff off my to-do list.  There’s nothing wrong with lists and such, I'm just looking for a more balanced approach to it all.  To have the ability to walk in both worlds, combining the perks of adult life with a childhood level of fun. That’s where the secret ingredient comes in.  I found that I can break the vicious cycle of an unyielding to-do list by simply throwing in a little imagination. Allow my inner kid to come out and play once in awhile.  I believe imagination can actually help define us, freeing us up to not only create but find ourselves in the middle of it.  

This is me using my secret ingredient this past week.  Pear people.

It was completely unproductive but that's kind of the point. Exercising the old imagination and giving them eyes, names and imagining what they were thinking was therapeutic.  It also reminded me that I have an odd sense of humor.  My favorite guy is Frank.  He's the one dead center in the back, looking in the wrong direction, waving at nothing.  

Not all of what you do has to provide a practical or perfect end result or be a part of a bigger picture.  It can just simply be a moment to be enjoyed and then you move on. And it will look different for everyone.  Instead of pear people, you may use your imagination to individually pick out flowers for your dream garden or think of all the places you want to see on your next road trip.

Here's the takeaway...

Life is short, do what you gotta do to pay the bills but mix in that secret ingredient.  Add a bit of imagination to life and watch it become MORE.

Oh and thanks Mom.  My ability to play is a direct result of who you are.  The pear people are for you. 😘 Happy Mother's Day.❤️