Musing

today’s Musing written and published from south Calgary, near Fish Creek Park

8C/47F, steady wind growing stronger, overcast, Gusta wildly energetic, I walked light in my loafers

yesterday – sitting there after dinner, watching conversation round the table; my dad smiling with satisfaction after eating that last forkful of pie on top of his prime rib dinner, my daughter Carla smiling next to nouveau-beau brought for inspection, PB smiling as she watched two of her children joining the après dinner discussion; I watched them talking about little things and big things I felt like I was watching myself 30 years ago . .

if I’d been trying to imagine/dream that scene 30 years ago what would be on my mind? . . time, place, personalities, dynamics are probably far removed from those around the table, but the issues, dynamics and magic were not – I cannot imagine imagining it any other way

we live in a world where playing in the sand box – as if we were 5 again – is far more plausible, available and viable then ever before – yet, the world sells us a backwards view; that accomplishment of goals, achievement in material terms delivers us to a place where dreaming and imagination are permitted; this is fuelled by media attention on the dalliances and child-like diversions of the right and mega rich, yet, we all need and deserve the energy and direction that come from unlocking our dreams, wishes, desires and ambitions – and, I believe, we learn more about them and ways to make them reality the more freely we allow ourselves to dream it, paint a mental picture – to do it in child-like fashion

at five, a kid can push a truck believing it is a steamer chugging through oceans, dock at a chair that becomes a castle, trip over a book that becomes a plane that flies upside down to an imaginary land on another planet; I would not suggest that dreams of middle-aged adults ought to be that easy to morph to reality . . I am suggesting that the freedom to imagine ourselves playfully enjoying life and indulging out appetite for living, for adventure and for relationships should not be limited – anymore than we would tell that 5 yr old to not imagine every element of that scenario

dreams lead where we want to go; we can dream our way to happiness; life’s been good to me and I credit imagination and pursuit of dreams more than work ethic, luck, management or planning; I don’t advocate dreaming replacement dreams several times daily, but I do advocate allowing the creative process in us to over-rule our stick-up-the-tailpipe reality we find ourselves enveloped by so often; if not just for sport, then to help us imagine a reality we might create that gets us through, over or around our problems

the difference between us is this; the 5 yr old will make up a new scenario several times a day every day - we call that normal, healthy, imaginative, creative play; we dreamers are thought by some to be crazy – by others we are seen as ‘in touch with ourselves’ while the large majority might look on wondering what the fuss is about


life has been very good to me, and I’m just getting started

Mark Kolke
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