Imagining the Otherwise

Maybe I have not had enough coffee this morning to write a proper title. I can't decided what to call it. Since visiting Fresh Mommy I wanted to participate in the Sunday Citar, which is all about sharing your favorite quote. Perhaps the following is not incredibly artsy or poetic, but it carries me.

"The courage to imagine the otherwise is our greatest resource"--Daniel J. Boorstin

I found it in Bernie Seigel's 365 Prescriptions for the Soul. Bernine follows this quote with an inspiring commentary. He writes:

"We are told to dream the impossible dream, but who knows what is impossible? Does it make sense to look at an enormous aircraft and think it can fly, not to mention to the moon? What are your unspoken dreams and imaginings? Write them down, and when you have time explore and develop them. If we never imagine what can be, it will never come into being...do not thwart your children's imaginations by being discouraging and telling them to get in touch with reality. Reality is what we imagine it to be."


Since last week when I was feeling feeling defeated and fragile because people told me to "get in touch with reality," the business got busy and I feel better. Especially since one customer shared that the Knees and Paws she ordered would be used for a year.
To think that something created by my hands would be kept that long was an amazing feeling. I silently suspect that I'm not just making Halloween accessories to be thrown away or stored in a box for next year, although I did challenge myself to create something from Elliot's imagination seen here:



From the very beginning, Knees and Paws have been inspired by the way children play; the goal is to help them have a fuller imaginative experience during daily pretending.

That being said, I am thankful for the increased sales in October.

And today, for the first time in two weeks, I have a day off! I plan to fold and actually put away my laundry and take my sweet boy out. Perhaps we'll pick out the perfect carving pumpkin and fill the yard with lights. I'll be sure to listen to the ideas that flow effortlessly from his imagination. I'll take extra care to encourage him to start designing and building the jet pack he's always wanted.

With all of this talk about imagination, I feel my sense of play returning. That, combined with the cooler weather, has awakened the feeling of Michigan and the memory of so many gorgeous fall days. I'm sure that much has been written about the feeling of homesickness in fall. It makes perfect sense that there is something called Homecoming. Fall is a time to return. A time to return to the roots of our childhood imaginations. Nature proves it when leaves release their hold to lay close to their roots, falling home.