If this quote from Einstein is true then I have a genius on my hands. Raising a boy, who is in the toddler years, has shown me what it is like to have a vivid imagination. It’s pretty magical. It has also shown me that part of the miserableness of adulthood is that we don’t use ours enough. My child is happiest when his imagination is going full steam. The only time it gets any better is when he has someone else using his imagination as well. His imagination is what turns his mommy, on her knees in the living room floor, into a bull and him into a bull rider. His imagination is what turns his very large dump truck outside into a truck wash when he asks me to get the water hose and fill up the dump with water. As an adult I can look at a toy car and think, how do kids have so much fun with these. Adulthood is the loss of your imagination. We start relying on outside things to stimulate our minds. It makes me think of magicians or illusionists, whatever you want to call them, when they tell you that you don’t actually want to know how they pull off the trick because it ruins it. That is what happens to people as we grow. We learn how things work and suddenly we can’t be entertained by pushing a car around the floor.

Why don’t we bring back that magic? Why not go through life pretending and using our imagination. Even if we know it is just pretend, do it anyway. Make the squealing tire noises when you’re driving to pretend you’re a race car driver, just keep an eye on the gas. Go get some supplies from a craft store and pretend you’re Michael Angelo painting the Sistine Chapel, it may no be pretty but it could be fun. When we have fun everything becomes easier and simpler. When balancing your checkbook, pretend to be the big boss like the kids do. Forget that you know what responsibilities actually comes with being a big boss for just a moment and see how those daunting tasks become fun activities. Kids play doctor, banker, cowboys and Indians, so why can’t we? Who knows, you could come up with a genius idea while you’re having fun.