Make-Believe

Figment

Jeanna G2 Comments

While coaching volleyball one night this summer, we had only 6 girls show up to play. I said, “I guess I’ll just be over on the bench by myself this match!” One of the players replied, “Nah, your imaginary friend can keep you company!”

What she doesn’t know is that, when I was a child, I had a whole imaginary crew to keep me company. Despite being the youngest of five kids growing up in my house, I did a lot of playing on my own. Except, I didn’t sound like I was alone because I was usually talking to my good friend, Tommy. No one else could see or hear him, but he was very real to me. He even drove a red blazer!

I don’t know how I had time for Tommy though, because I was very busy raising my thirteen kids in the land of make-believe. Maybe I heard one too many nursery rhymes about women living in shoes, otherwise I have no clue where else that whopper of a storyline could have come from. Now I don’t think I ever blamed Tommy when I got in trouble, but people sure did start to wonder what his relationship was with my kids.

I overheard my daughter talking to herself the other day, so I peeked around the corner to see if maybe she had a Tommy of her own. She was dancing, jumping around, and laughing, so I thought it must be her imagination running wild in there! Then I heard another voice and realized she was on FaceTime with a friend. Strange as it seems, I was somewhat disappointed that I was wrong! Well, I’m not disappointed that her friends are not figments of her imagination, I just hope that she’s allowing her imagination to reach its full potential.

Around the same time that I was hanging out with Tommy, I was fascinated with the Disney character named Figment. He was a purple dragon-like creature who would put on a multitude of disguises and use his imagination to discover all sorts of things. Maybe Figment is why I still can’t make up my mind about who I want to be when I grow up. Why be one thing when you can be so much more (or at least pretend to be)?

Telephone

Jeanna GLeave a comment

I took looking backwards to the next level this past week by ordering landline service for my home. My daughter is so excited about it. She says, “I feel like an 80’s baby!” This is funny because, although she is referring to the 1980s, it was the 1880s when the American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T!) Company was founded by Mr. Bell. She has me calling the house from my cell phone just so she can have make-believe conversations with me.

I purchased a corded phone because it was cheapest, but also so we always know where it is. She asked how long the cord was on my childhood phone, about which I joked, “Not long enough.” Actually, it was long enough to walk from the hallway into the bathroom to sit behind the closed door and talk in private. Of course privacy doesn’t exist if someone quietly lifts up the receiver downstairs and listens in on the conversation!

All this phone talk got me thinking about the game Telephone that we used to play. One person would come up with some silly phrase, like “Purple polka-dotted elephants dance in roller skates,” and whisper it to the next person, who passes it on down the telephone line, until the last person says the message out-loud for everyone to hear. Of course the message is never the same as it started, but it’s something equally ridiculous that makes everyone giggle and roll around on the floor.

At the time, it didn’t occur to me that the game was actually a great example of how rumors begin and spiral. Hopefully we can all catch on to that lesson, quit the gossip, and spread simple, true, and positive messages from now on. Let’s try this: Enjoy Being. Pass it on!

Super-Kids

Jeanna GLeave a comment

Recently at work I was commiserating with a coworker about a similar issue we were experiencing, but needed to solve separately. She wished me luck and, with a fist raised in the air, I responded in my best manly voice, “I have the power!” She looked at me like I was crazy (not a rarity between us), but she’s also close to half my age, so she didn’t get my nod to He-Man.

As a child, I thought I was Wonder Woman. I introduced myself as Diana Prince (except it sounded like “Pwince”). I would twirl around in the yard, simulating my change into superheroine status. I had the lasso of truth, the bullet-deflecting bracelets, the tiara, and the invisible plane, all in my imagination, of course. The plane was the easiest to convince others that I had since, well, it was invisible.

I also had a slight obsession with He-Man. I had the action figure, including his trusty allies, Battle Cat, and the goofy sorcerer, Orko. Castle Greyskull was a show-stopping gift at my 5th birthday party. Oh boy, were my friends jealous! I loved the show, and I loved He-Man, the Most Powerful Man in the Universe!

I find it amusing that more than 35 years later, I’m still referencing this character when I need a boost of courage. It makes me wonder who kids are looking up to these days. In 30 years, when they’re feeling anxious or need to solve a problem, will they ask themselves, “What would my role models do?” And if so, what would be their next steps? Kids are watching TikTokers copy ten second dance routines. Will they try to dance their way out a situation? They watch YouTubers play with toys, experiment with life hacks, and recreate things that already exist. Will future adults have any confidence or imagination to try things on their own and figure things out for themselves? I hope Superheroes last forever, so that good will always win, and so that Super-Kids will become Super-Adults, who will always be strong and courageous. I know what lessons I’m teaching my Super-Kid!

Full of Wonder!