I think Briannah, my three-year-old granddaughter, was a waitress in a past life. He loves to play make-believe and serve tea. Sometimes he will find a paper and even accept my order. I was at her house last week and she had an imaginary mug in her hand. I usually order coffee. However, this time I decided to mix things up.
“I think I’ll have mint tea today,” I said with a smile.
“We don’t have that here,” he replied.
Even in her fancy cabinet there was no peppermint tea. Of course I thought this was funny. The little boy had an unlimited supply of fictional food and drink possibilities, but peppermint tea was not an option. Instead, I ordered my usual coffee.
I told my spouse CB the story of the limited supply of tea. CB assumed that Briannah had never seen peppermint tea before, so it was not part of her imaginary world. Then it occurred to me that most of us operate on the same principle. Instead of imagining and chasing the life of our dreams, we assume that we are stuck and don’t even imagine that there is any way out. There is no hope or mint tea in our world. Perhaps we think it would be foolish to dream. Smart people stick to reality. If that wrong thought is spinning in your pragmatic mind, consider this quote from Albert Einstein.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Because knowledge is limited to everything that we now know and understand, while imagination encompasses the entire world, and everything that will have to be known and understood.”
When I was a child I spent hours daydreaming. It was fun. Many adults (mostly teachers) did not approve of my imaginative thinking. However, I held on and carried on like this anyway. It was worth it. As a writer, a strong imagination is crucial, so I have had the luxury of putting my fickle mind to good use. Maybe I was ahead of my time. As more people learn about the secret and the law of attraction, people are discovering that what we can imagine in our minds is the first step in turning our thoughts into reality. Therefore, what we choose to focus on is extremely important.
Some people may view optimism as a form of denial. don’t see it that way. Optimism is a way of approaching situations with an eye toward success. I do not deny reality, I simply make the determination to face the problems and choose a more creative, empowering and hopeful mindset. I think there are many more options with an optimistic approach.
Not everyone may want to be optimistic, but we value creativity. I think optimistic thinking is very innovative. Ask an optimist for solutions and you will have plenty of options. They may not all work, but at least the potential for success is brewing. Most pessimistic responses tend to be limiting and sound like, “It can’t be done. We’ve always done it this way. Things will never change.”
This negative train of thought is especially destructive when it comes to imagining the course of our lives. Because, like it or not, we are always imagining something. How often have we imagined the worst, only to see it appear as we think? Why not focus on positive life scenarios and create ways to manifest the results? Personally, I believe that adults can learn a lot by using their imagination and playing fantasy.
Which brings me back to the present. My daughter, Alicia and her two daughters, Rosannah and Briannah, will be flying north and visiting CB and myself next month. I plan to buy a little tea set for the girls to play with while they are here. I’m also going to make some mint tea and let the girls take a sip. That way, the next time I get a chance to order my imaginary tea, I’ll be able to get exactly the kind I want.
