Imagination

I remember when I was a little girl and loved to use my imagination. I had tea parties with my dolls and teddy bears and enjoyed their participation and opinions. I named each one and gave distinct personalities to all of them. It was fun and creative and I loved nurturing my imagination. And then I grew up!

Why do we lose our sense of wonder and surprise that was such a part of our childhood? Perhaps the reality of working and paying bills and coping with medical conditions overtake our time and energy as we grow up. Yet we must find a way to keep our curiosity and imagination. Without our ability to dream and hope and plan in our imaginary world, we become complacent and our creativity diminishes. This is not good for our mind or soul.

Some people just have a natural ability for using their imagination. They come up with out-of-the-box ideas at work. They are the ones who like a free flowing brain storming meeting because they have a knack for it. Then there are the wonderful story tellers. When their children ask them for a bedtime story, they can tell an original tale that they just made-up. These people have great imaginations. Also, people with an active imagination tend to dress interestingly by wearing combinations of colors and textures that always work, but are so different than the rest. And they tend to be great decorators. They can arrange furniture in a completely unique pattern and mix and match fabrics while creating a beautiful designer look.

I am learning to use the gift God has given all of us, our imagination. It is one of the reasons I love to read. A good book can take you anywhere if you let your imagination sprout. The same is true of a movie and a play. While we enjoy these mediums, we escape and venture to other places. It is truly a treasure to be able to do this. So pull out your imagination, dust it off and put it to use. Who knows where it will take you today. Enjoy the journey.