Imagination

I was listening to the radio this afternoon and the DJ asked "Do you ever take side roads just to see where they go?" The question immediately brought a smile to my face. I can't count the times I've looked out the window, seen a road, country lane or the like and started imagining what I might find down that particular path. It also made me feel a bit more "normal" to find that others may think like I do!

I love time spent with my imagination!

I was driving to town recently in a steady downpour. I saw a worker on the side of the road seemingly oblivious to the rain. I remember hoping he had a loving wife at home ready with a pot of fresh coffee or a cold beer; whichever he preferred. I hoped someone let him know he was appreciated.

My imagination really gets to work imagining what the lives are like of random people I see out and about. It could be at a restaurant, waiting in line somewhere, overhearing a conversation in a store. Any number of scenarios. What I imagine is always good, always happy.

While my imagination is rather predictable and somewhat sedate, there are many who make their livings, entertain millions and "wow" us using only their imaginations. I watch shows where comedians come up with skits and routines on the spot. Their minds go places mine would never go. They amaze me. Robin Williams is another that comes to mind. He and so many others like him are comedic geniuses. Then there are inventors, engineers, authors, playwrights, kindergarten teachers, the list goes on.

I use my imagination to entertain myself and sometimes my husband and kids. Extremely limited in its bounds and use. But that's ok 'cause there's more...

While imagining these various things is fun, there's little to compare to what's back on the home front. Driving by the ballpark tonight a little after 8:00 it seemed so odd that it was already dark and locked up. Baseball finished up last week but I saw kids playing football just two hours earlier. Madonna's song "This Used To Be My Playground" came to mind. It occurred to me then, and not for the first time, that as our children go through their experiences, so do we. I was a mom before I ever thought to send my mom a card on the birthdays of her children. After all - their birthdays were her anniversaries as a mother. Well, this park had certainly been Christopher's playground, yes, but it was also where my son played his first ever baseball game. Everyday moments, so normal, so ordinary. Memories to be treasured. Not living through our children, no, but savoring the joys of parenthood. Stacking up our experiences along with those of our offspring. Watching our children experience life.

I've been blessed beyond measure to be able to share, as a parent, in their various activities; speech team, driver licenses, marching band, dance recitals, art classes, field trips, spelling bees, softball, baseball, soccer, graduations, proms, homecomings, first jobs, first-loves, first heartbreaks, showers, weddings, pregnancy, childbirth, college, car accidents, even arrests! Nope, I no longer have to imagine what it will be like when my children (fill-in the blank), I just get to imagine what might be next.

Looks like a thrill ride whether real or imagined! I hope you use your imagination frequently but keep your mind and heart free for the "little bit scary but so much fun" real-life experiences that make us want to jump right back in line for another go.