I’m thankful for my imagination. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a creative drive, an insatiable need to express the thoughts and ideas that bubble up in the mad scientist’s cauldron that is my mind. Awareness of this creativity began around eight or nine, when I first began playing with Star Wars toys, and instead of replaying the movie over and over, I would create my own storyline and remake the characters into what I wanted them to be. Then, my cousin Sam introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons, and my imagination found an outlet that to this date is unrivaled. Despite the stigma attached back then (I don’t know if it’s still the same today), role playing games were the most positive and productive form of entertainment I ever encountered. Developing characters and then later sketching out adventures as Dungeon Master brought me out of my introverted shell and helped me learn how to interact socially. And being encouraged and praised for my creativity gave me an inkling of self-confidence at an age when I had none.
I’m a writer because of my imagination. Writing is my form of expression for those bubbles in the cauldron. I’ve attempted a couple of times to walk away from writing and not look back because the life is difficult and often lonely, but each time, the need to release my pent-up imaginings would gnaw and gnaw and gnaw at me until I had no choice but to pick up a pen or sit down at the computer. I write this blog for much the same reason. Right now, with my current career in education, I simply don’t have the time or energy or concentration to work on a novel day in and day out the way I need to, so the blog allows me to release my creative desires and maintain my writing skills without having to focus as much as I would for a full book.
The only downside to my imagination an creativity is that I have difficulty remembering details precisely as they occurred. For instance, I can rarely quote a movie line verbatim because I’m usually rewording the line how I would have written it. So my friends often have to correct me when I attempt to quote something. To me, that’s a small price to pay for this amazing gift. I love being imaginative and creative, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. I’m eternally thankful and grateful for my imagination, for my creativity, for my ability to make something where before there was nothing. It’s a special gift, one that I cherish and revere.
Big Owl's Tree 