Do you remember when you were a kid and your imagination was
constantly on overdrive. I often wonder why that changes as we age. Why is it that
the older we get, the less likely we are to imagine that we are going to be an
astronaut, a fireman, a movie star or a supermodel? What happens to our
imaginative power?
I was happy to see this past week that imagination is alive in
my children. They decided that they wanted to play "Man vs. Wild". It
snowed ten inches on Wednesday here in the desert and my they decided to build
an igloo. They spent the day in the snow creating an icy shelter. They began
forming the blocks by hand and then got out one of our toy bins and began
pressing the blocks in the bin and dumping them out. This accelerated their
progress. I thought it was a very creative idea. They never quite figured out
how to build the roof so they used blankets from inside the house to cover the
top.
As soon as their igloo was finished, they announced that they
were going to sleep in it. I thought they were crazy because it was suppose to
be as low as 19 degrees Fahrenheit (about -8 degrees Celsius). Stacy told them
that they could not do it. I totally understood her reasoning and in this case
she may have been right. I think though that our creative powers suffer a blow
when we imagine something and then we are told that we cannot do it. They
convinced us that they would be OK and we decided to let them do it.
Stacy and I both confessed in the morning that we were afraid
that they would not only die from the cold, but that they would also die from
carbon dioxide poisoning. They had built the shelter so tight that we
thought they might suffocate. I am sure we slept better than the boys, but our
sleep was interrupted with thoughts of their demise.
Somehow they made it through the night. I think they came in
the house at about 4:30 AM. I found them huddled in blankets in front of the
computer playing Galaga and laughing when I went out for my run. They told me
that they were ready to hang out with Bear Grylls and conquer the wild.
I am
sure that my sons will not become explorers that host their own show on the Discovery Channel. In the name of imagination and
creativity I let them believe that they are capable of being whoever they want
to be.
It is a very difficult thing to have a
dream squashed by somebody you love. I remember growing up and having a serious
desire to become a High School Teacher. I was inspired by Mr. Linamin. He was
the craziest and most odd teacher I ever met. He seemed to be free to do
whatever he wanted to do. He barked at students and rang a bell if you said
"yeah" instead of yes. He claimed to store boogers in his beard and
kept a collection of toe jam and belly button lint on
his desk. He did so many odd and quirky things that it would be impossible to
list them all.
One day he told us that he could put his
leg over and behind his head while standing up and that he was willing to show
anybody who was willing to pay him five dollars to see it. I was the only one willing
to pay so he took me out in the hall and, at about 62 years old, put his leg
behind and over his head. It was a site to behold and one I will never forget.
He was magical. He inspired me and I wanted to become a teacher.
Everybody I knew told me that I would not
make enough money to support my family if I became a teacher. Those I trusted
discouraged me from following that dream. After a while, I believed them and I
quit imagining myself as a High School Teacher. I got a job as a salesman and
began to support my growing family. As I aged, I looked around and discovered
that I had a friend who had a similar house, a similar family (seven children
just like us) and yet he was a High School teacher. He somehow found a way to
support his large family and meet their needs on his teacher’s salary.
When I became aware of this, I felt ripped
off. It did not take away from my success, but I knew that I could have been a
teacher and I would have been a good one. Since that realization I continually
remind myself to encourage the dreams of others. I believe that if someone
wants something bad enough, they will figure out to make ends meet. Any dream
will do. We just gotta want it bad enough to make it happen. I think it is ok
to challenge someone’s dream but we can do it in a way that doesn’t say “no”.
We just need to ask, “have you thought about this?” and “what will you do if
this happens?” By asking these types of questions we will be evoking their
imagination instead of shutting it off.
My three sons currently want to be a Chef,
a Pyrotechnician and a Major League baseball player. I don’t know what they
will become, but I am not going to discourage them from reaching for their
dream. I won’t discourage you either.
Dream On!
Andrew Thorn
760-559-3548
athorn@telioscorp.com
