i�mag�i�na�tion

1a) The formation of a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses.
�  b) The mental image so formed.
�  c) The ability or tendency to form such images.
2) The ability to confront and deal with reality by using the creative power of the mind; resourcefulness: handled the problems with great imagination.
3) A traditional or widely held belief or opinion.
4) Archaic
     a) An unrealistic idea or notion; a fancy.
     b) A plan or scheme.

One of the greatest things about being a kid is the flights of fancy you have. No one thinks you're crazy when you pretend to go on an African safari and meet up with ferocious head hunters. In fact, an active imagination is almost always expected of kids. Really, many parents and teachers foster and encourage it in their kids and students. According to psychologists, an active imagination is indicative of the ability to focus and concentrate on one activity and that the child has developed his or her own own ideas and isn't over-reliant on outside stimuli.

The world today wouldn't be what it is now without certain people and their active imaginations or minds. If Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, the person who invented the computer, or Walt Disney all had been simple-minded and unimaginative, then we wouldn't have, most likely, the telephone, the light bulb or electricity or computers. I wouldn't even be typing (or writing, as there would be no Soul Food Caf�) this entry. And we certainly wouldn't have Mickey Mouse and the gang or Walt Disney World, not to mention Disneyland. And come to think of it, if the Ancients hadn't been curious about the mysteries of Earth and the Universe and they hadn't used their imaginations in developing theories, we wouldn't have the rich, creative folklore and myths they left behind.

The chocolate I chose today--an egg-sized milk chocolate round topped with a crisscrossed white chocolate pattern--was obviously filled with ideas and activities on imagination. More specifically, its sweet chocolatety center oozed ideas on imaginary friends. Strangely enough, or maybe not, I never had any imaginary friends. But I had--and still have--an active imagination. In fact, I still scare myself silly some nights with what my imagination conjures. (That's what I get from watching scary or intense movies or shows like Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. Hey, they had some pretty weird and frightening monsters on that show...and they weren't the vampires.)

No, I never had invisible friends, but my make believe world never lacked fun or excitement. My favorite thing to do when I was little was to appropriate one of Mom's silk gowns and lie on my grandparents' sofa, pretending to be Snow White. (I was/am an emulator.) I would pretend to eat the poisoned apple then "fall asleep", lying on the sofa in sweet repose with my hands folded across my chest as if I were in a glass coffin, waiting for my prince to come. That was my Snow White phase.

Then when I discovered I loved writing (at the age of eight or nine) my imagination was put to use in creating plays I would have my friends, my cousin, my older stepsister and myself sometimes act out. I also had, as I do now, personal daydreams, where I'm superpopular, where I meet celebrities and enter their elite social circles, where I'm a spy and have a dangerous assignment, and of course, different scenarios where I meet my one true love.

Imagination is a great thing--now where did I leave my purple light saber?

moon phase