Favorite Things - March 9

Looking back over the last few weeks, one might leap to the assumption that I am consumed by "stuff". That's not true. I'm not a mad shopper or hoarder, and I don't really think of myself as materialistic to any great extent. The intent of Favorite Things was not to extol the virtue solely of the material. In fact there are many, many intangibles that make me as happy as, or happier even, than any physical item. So today, for a change, my favorite thing is one of those intangibles.

Today, my favorite thing is my imagination!

I've been a princess, a Prime Minister, a giraffe, a zoo-keeper, a gypsy, a unicorn jockey and an Olympian. I've travelled the world, from the depths of the Grand Canyon, to the heights of Kilimanjaro; set foot on each continent and waded in every ocean. I've had lovers. I've had friends. I've had villainous enemies. I've been tall, I've been svelte, I've had auburn hair. I've created a masterpiece that has made the Mona Lisa cry; played first violin for the London Symphony Orchestra; and pirouetted onto the stage in Moscow as Clara. I have seen an end to war; a cure for cancer; and fresh water that runs freely into all the world's thirsty mouths. My Nobel prize for both science and peace, rests alongside my Pulitzer and my Grammy.

There is no situation for which my brain can not conjure an image. It may not be able to comprehend simple maths, but it is alive with colours and images and grand adventures. Dialogue banters back and forth, and I am never short a witty retort. When the going gets rough, I know that things will someday soon be right again, and I know this because I can imagine it. If I can imagine it, many times I can make it a reality, save for the unicorns and towering height.

I have never taken my imagination for granted. I was born before the time of electronic games. Toys were inanimate and it was only imagination that could make them come alive. Toys, themselves, were often merely a limiting prop. I could just as easy dream myself into a castle eating off the finest china - the castle a circle of tree stumps, the fine china the large flat fungus snapped free from the stumps.

I have never limited my imagination to the realm of the possible. Where is the fun in that? I have insinuated myself into existing fables and tales, and created my own dramas.

Lest you think that I am mentally unstable, let me assure you that I am very capable of telling the difference between the real and the other realm. The real is far more boring. Truth is, it is my imagination that at the end of the day, keeps me sane.