Monday, June 20, 2011

The Possible's slow fuse is lit By the Imagination. ~ Emily Dickinson

My front porch spent a couple hours today as a Cor-Mor space ship.  What is Cor-Mor?  I don't know.  But to my two little grandsons it was as real to them as if they were on an actual space ship flying thru the Milky Way.  I bought them a couple of cheap foam pirate swords a month or so ago that have fought more battles, killed more bad guys, than I can even count.  Today they were light sabres fighting the four-handed robots.  My finger was a laser gun that 'killed' all the robot ships (any car, truck, or school bus) that drove past our house.  I was Cor-Mor Grandma and every time Captain Dylan and Cor-Mor Cooper left the ship Cooper would wave at me and say, "Bye, Cor-Mor Grandma!  I love you!" as he dashed off to battle.  Cooper had an imaginary computer at my end of the porch, Dylan had his at the other end.  They would stand there and pretend-type on their keyboards and then meet by the steps and make up their battle plan for attack.  My job?  It was to push a nail every now and then on one of the posts that was the "On" switch for turning the space ship on.  I also had an imaginary lever on my chair I had to shift every now and then for more power.

I don't know who had more fun, them or me.

Isn't imagination a wonderful thing?  Isn't it sad, the day we 'come of age' where all of a sudden we've lost the ability to imagine, where playing isn't really fun anymore?  My Dear Hubby remembers his day very well.  It was a day where he went to play GI Joes with a cousin and realized he didn't feel like playing it any more.  For me, it was a day I sat down with my childhood best friend Angie to play Barbie dolls, and I couldn't think of a thing I wanted my Barbie to do.  I put the doll down and told Angie, "I don't feel like doing this any more."

Not that we adults don't 'imagine' things.  But our imaginary images tend to be more negative..  We can imagine the world economy crashing.  We can imagine a tornado coming straight at us and demolishing our home.  We seem to have lost the whimsy side of imagination...the world where whatever we dream is as real as the nose on our face.  Where horses can fly and cats can play fiddles.  Where cows truly do jump over the moon.

I feel very privileged to have two little grandsons who know I'll imagine right along with them, to be included in their games and never "pooh pooh" whatever their minds are dreaming up as we go.  I have to dig back 50 years or so to take myself  mentally to their ages and remember how real my space ships and horses I rode thru the mist on the school playgrounds on cold autumn mornings were,  But I still can.  And I feel very blessed to be able to do so.  If nothing else, I hope my little grandsons will still turn to me one day and say like they do now, "Grandma, we sure have fun at your house!"

6 comments:

Rob-bear said...

Owwwwww! Grandma takes on the aliens, and wins! Along with her grandsons.

Well, why not. It's in your imagination — you can make it go any way you want.

Judy said...

My imagination is also alive and well.

And, don't tell ANYONE but I have tiny toys hidden in my underwear draw. Little books and dolls and a tiny patent leather purse...

Oh sure, I've (mostly) put away my childish things, but I do keep a rather child-like heart at the ready.

Seems you do to, Kris.

Betty W said...

I´m really bad at imagination games. I was with my kids and unfortunately probably won´t be any better with grandkids. But I´m sure I have other talents.
I´m glad you´re back to posting and your boys are blessed to have you!

Jaggy said...

Neither of my grandmothers squashed my creativity. My parents were also pretty good at encouraging wild ideas.

I remember going out to my grandparents' farm. They had a yard full of dandelions (green year-round!). When the plants would turn to seed, I just had to run outside and let all of the wishes loose in the yard by blowing the puffballs. Grandma never stopped me.

Of course, if we had a dandelion in our yard, Dad was very careful to make me blow my wishes into the trash can... lol!

I am pretty sure all of those wishes did end up coming true.

HORIZON said...

Oh l think that's exactly what they will say Kris :) This was lovely reading tonight- l had a smile on my face from the end of the first paragraph - wonderful to think of the boys having so much fun together- buttons and spaceships and battles. I love listening to Sam sometimes when he is in his room playing with his Dr Who or Star wars figures- nothing like a little imagination to brighten up the day ;) I wish they could stay that way forever.
Have a great weekend with your family Kris
My head cold seems to have shifted to a chesty cough now- will be glad when it has run its course!
xx

LC said...

Am enjoying catching up on your posts. This one got me to thinking! I cannot remember a specific incident when I stopped playing kid make believe, but I am enjoying pulling out those memories!