Life Lessons

Imagine That …

Not so long ago, when schools and playgrounds were filled with kids, I was waiting outside school to pick up my child. A little boy came out of the school and sat next to me. He looked at me with a smile that started at his right ear and ran all the way to his left. He looked so happy. 

He then asked me “ Are you a teenager?”

 I was not sure if I heard him right. I asked him to repeat and he asked me again “Are you a teenager?” 

I smiled and said “ I was a teenager a long time ago. Not any more.” 

His immediate question was “ Are you a teacher here?” 

I said “ No I am not.” 

Even before I completed my sentence, he asked “ Are you a parent ?” 

I said “ Yes I am.” 

I asked him how old he was. He said he was ten. I told him “ You will be a teenager in three years.” 

He was so happy when he said, “Yes, I will be! ”.

I am sure he has big plans for his teenage years. As he got up to leave, I wished him great teenage years.

 
Image by Biraj Ghimire from Pixabay

He was probably imagining the things that he will get to do once he becomes a teenager. That created so much joy in him.

Talking about imagination, there is no way I don’t mention this series on Netflix that has stolen all our hearts. Every dialogue in it is so delightful and endearing. “Anne with An E” is simply scrumptious.

“Because when you are imagining, you might as well imagine something worth while.” 
“Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive–it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then, would there?”

Ann Of Green Gables.

The series recounts how Anne makes her way through life with her new family, in school, and within the town and the role the power of her imagination plays in it.

According to an article published in sciencedaily, imagination is a lot like reality.

A new brain imaging study led by University of Colorado Boulder and Icahn School of Medicine researchers, suggest that imagination can be a powerful tool in helping people with fear and anxiety-related disorders overcome them.

For now, Wager advises, pay attention to what you imagine.

“Manage your imagination and what you permit yourself to imagine. You can use imagination constructively to shape what your brain learns from experience.”

www.sciencedaily.com

Today, as I sit and imagine a world free of this fear and anxiety, it gives me great joy.
As I imagine people getting back to work and children running past their school gates and playground fences, it fills my mind with hope.
As i imagine business as usual, it makes me happy.
As I imagine families reuniting with loved ones who had to stay away, it fills my heart with happiness.

I smile from ear to ear, just like that little boy did, in anticipation of him becoming a teenager.
I smile in anticipation of the world becoming free from this danger.
Because, like Anne would say, “while you are imagining you might as well imagine something worth while”…

Happy Imagining! And Imagine that………