“Hold your breath. Make a wish. Count to three. Come with me and you’ll be In a world of pure imagination. Take a look and you’ll see Into your imagination. We’ll begin with a spin. Travelling in the world of my creation. What we’ll see will defy explanation.”
– Willy Wonka, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Hello January…. here we are again….
I had intended this post for last October as another Halloween post on using our imaginations to help chase away our demons. It seemed fitting. However, my demons were a little overwhelming and it was hard to find a quiet space to let them be with all the other happenings that life was throwing in my direction. I figured that December would be a great time as well, but it turned out just as difficult a month, or more so. When it drew to a close and the New Year was once again knocking on my door, I decided that I would set my intention to write a post once a month, have at least thirty minutes a day for time to create and forgive myself for not managing to get done what I had set out to do. For the Minecraft world that my munchkins live in at present, I explained it as no longer being in “survival mode” and more being in “creative and peaceful mode”. Tranquil Joy and Harmony. To practice living in the space given and find joy in the journey… which is what I try to encourage everyone else to do, but forget my own advice, as is the way! =P That being said… here is the post I wanted to write… albeit with more of a more January flare to it as we live in the present, not the past… as Oogway from Kung Fu Panda says: “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift! That is why it is called the present.”
“In the empire of the senses. Your the Queen of all you survey. All the cities, all the nations. Everything that falls your way”
– Sting, Love is the Seventh Wave
One of my daughter’s best friends came over some time ago for a much needed play date (play dates have been few and far between as we bounce between restrictions, periods of isolation and the weather!). They were making slime (something that I have had to make peace with since my daughter has found sanity in it, but more on that later….. maybe). Anyway, my daughter’s friend was chatting away and came up with the phrase “Imagination Fury”. Perhaps she meant “Imagination Theory” but either seemed about right. I have been thinking since then how our imaginations work, as I watch both my kids go from excitement of an idea to frustration or even fury within in what feels like a blink of a eye. I remember feeling exactly this same way when an idea decides to grace you with it’s presence (I like this explanation given to me by Elizabeth Gilbert in her book Big Magic). My imagination can be just as vast and quickly develop into a towering skyscraper, or take off faster than light speed and before I know it, it’s run away and left me feeling numb with the endless possibilities. In recent years, I’ve become weary and jaded with ideas that come and sit with me for awhile, which isn’t very productive and no wonder I can’t manage to start anything or get much done. So I spent most of the year, getting to grips with our smaller space, organizing, throwing away, giving away and discovering ways to keep calm as our “improbability drive” is set off course to destinations unknown. Creating that space was good and showing the munchkins how to use it effectively has helped us live together more harmoniously. I did, also create quite a bit of my own designs and what I did do I am quite proud of. I also watched and directed my munchkins with their many projects (and supported their meltdowns when their ideas got too big and had to scaled back). I had to implement a “month long” policy as the cardboard city got too vast for the space we have. This has given them the opportunity to reinvent a new one every time, plus learning that not everything lasts forever. And again, learning to let go and accept mistakes, is a life skill that always needs practice.
“If you want to view paradise. Simply look around and view it. Anything you want to, do it. Want to change the world? There’s nothing to it.”
– Willy Wonka, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
It has been a privilege to observe and listen to the stories unfold as my munchkins tell them. One particularly icy and snowy day off from school my daughter wrote an impressive lengthy story. My son drew elaborate pictures. The stories became a life of their own, got blurred into reality and for a time were very important and believable. It reminded me of when I was their ages. The stories I had in my head always seemed to mix in with what was happening in reality and that was how I dealt with life in general. It was away of processing all the information that was coming in. There were times when the story would spiral and I had a hard time letting it go. I have noticed this trait in my munchkins too. The story or the idea becomes too big, but can’t be let go and prevents us from seeing the truth path. The excitement mixed with fear keeps us holding on even if we are in danger of being dragged under. And this is where our imaginations might do us a disservice. Disappointingly, we do have limitations and there are challenges to face with any medium or vessel you use to bring your idea to life. There are also the “dementors” that will come along and suck the joy out of it and cause us to feel hopeless. However, just like Professor Lupin taught Harry Potter, a well said Patronus Charm (I can’t believe spellcheck doesn’t know how to spell that!) will chase them away. That and eating a lot of dark chocolate! And just because, it is not exactly as I imagined or had to be scaled back to fit in the confines of the space provided, doesn’t mean it is any less of an achievement. A failure or mistake of one kind can perhaps turn into something more meaningful on the other side. For you Minecraft fans, over the Holiday my daughter was educating me on the origin of the Creeper. It is a good example of a mistake becoming more than its intention. I admire the creator for his coding error and going with it, who would have known that it would become such a huge hit. We have had many laughs now over it and the expression “turn Creeper” has been used in this household to explain how you might suddenly erupt into another emotional state with little notice.
My friend once said to me, when I mentioned I was nervous about what would happen next or what would happen if I believed too much in what I could imagine: “Keep your walls up, but your windows open, you need to smell the roses and fresh air breathing life into new adventures.”
Anyone who knows me well, will know I’m not a risk taker. Sure I can imagine big things, but I can also do a 360 and see the other side. In previous posts I’ve written about how I went from a tiny Caribbean Island to working as a Nanny in London, as brave as this was, I was familiar with London and had a lot of safety nets and havens in England. Living now in Canada and removed from those safety nets, in a Pandemic with two young munchkins to care for who are my everything, I feel now the stakes are higher. However, be this as it maybe, and on reflection, what I imagine need not be feared (too much!), mistakes can be made (although perhaps not very big ones!), I can keep trying, I can let go of what has happened to me in the past and move forward. If an idea seems too big on the outset, I can take it one step at a time, break it down and feel my way. Perhaps, watch it slowly grow, like I watch my kids grow or those roses outside my wall. My life so far has been a series of interesting adventures that I imagine will only get better with time. I admit that I don’t need to know everything before I start, answers sometimes only reveal themselves after the fact. In fact this post was written at exactly the right time for me, had it been earlier these revaluations might not have come so readily. I imagine this year and beyond to be full of positive possibilities and adventures, although the thought of it is still “nervciting”, so I will breathe in the fresh air and the roses and take it one step at time. There is no real pressure to perform here and I’m exhausted being the “dance monkey”. I will keep those windows open to choose what to let in, not every idea or thought has to come for tea at this exclusive party. There is a guest list and bouncer!
While we waited for inspiration to strike here is what we read, listened to and watched:
For the munchkins….
- A Stillwater Episode called The Ginormous Robot – deals with disappointment when you imagine something to be better than it really is and how to find the good in what you have.
- Snoopy presents Auld Lang Syne – because it’s the New Year! We could always use a cup of kindness and reminder we are loved whoever we are and wherever we are.
- Arron Slater Illustrator by Andrea Beaty – another fine story from her series about a boy who has trouble expressing his ideas and what he eventually does to overcome it.
- The Smart Cookie by Jory John – a story about finding what you are good at, since everyone has something.
- It Fell From the Sky by Terry Fan – What is it? Nobody knows…. A wonderfully imaginative story that my son loves!
- The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires – about perfectionism and the frustration we feel to get it “right” when it is only going all “wrong”.
For the mums… (and possibly the dads?)
- Emily in Paris on Netflix – an excellent series about a girl who thinks she has her life mapped out, but turns out it is far removed from what she could have possibly imagined. This has resonated with me…. No surprises as to why! Hehehe
- Furiously Happy and Let’s Pretend it Never Happened by Jennie Lawson – because she’s amazing and very brave and I am inspired by her, like so many other people.
- The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson – a very readable book on how our brains work and what we can do to be master of them.
For the party…
- Pure Imagination sung by Gene Wilder from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Love is the seventh wave by Sting
- Let it go by James Bay (and Elsa! If you aren’t already tired of it! Hehe)
- Dance Monkey cover by Kidz Bop Kids (my son’s favourite at present)
- Firework by Katie Perry (my Daughter’s all time favourite)
- I’m still standing by Elton John
And anything else you choose….
As always, stay safe, healthy and joyful,
Best,
Ax