Monday, May 10, 2010

Think an Impossible Thing.


All children know this. Alice in Wonderland gave it voice. And picture books weave their appeal around the idea. But somehow the older we get the more foolish we are told it is. 

Think impossible things. 
It is a simple idea. 
When I was little I painted in the air with imaginary colors that tasted like strawberries and cupcakes. Alice in wonderland liked to think six impossible things before breakfast. And that landed her in the adventure of her lifetime. 

My six year old son and I make a regular practice of thinking impossible things. When he was nervous about the school spelling test I told him to take me in his back pocket. 
"How?" he asked. 
"Well, all Mommy's can shrink so their kids can fit them in their pockets and take them anywhere they need to," I said.
"Really?"
"Yes. Here, look." And I handed him an imaginary shrunken version of myself. 

Tonight he came running in to our office to kiss me goodnight holding nothing firmly between his hands and said "Look, Mommy. Look what my magic computer printed out!"
I looked at the nothing he was holding. "Oh cool, Isaiah. Did you do that yourself?"
"Yes. It is a letter. Can you read it?"
Of course I could. "Sure," I said. "It says you are the bestest Mommy in all the galaxies in the world and I want to give you chocolate for breakfast everyday."
He laughed. 
"Oh, and there is a picture of you and I. That's a great drawing!" And I gave him a big kiss. He ran off pleased as anything with himself. 

So, care to join us? Care to think an impossible thing?  
Try. 

What about this one. 
Your words will matter to more people than you will ever meet. 
Or this one.
One day you will sit at the top of your tallest dream and cry those happy tears.

Now it's your turn.
What about you? Think an impossible thing and share it with me. Make it big. No point otherwise :)
And if you regularly make a habit of printing letters from magic computers, painting with tasty colors or kissing fish, then share that too.

33 comments:

  1. I guess I've always been driven to make nearly impossible things real.

    (Nearly impossible sounds kind of Monty Python, doesn't it? I can almost hear John Cleese whispering as an announcer: "And here is Marty McShrump, practitioner of the nearly impossible.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Practitioner of The Nearly Impossible- I LOVE THAT! That is what I want on my grave stone. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's sort of beautiful to think impossible things, isn't it? I'm going to have to practice this with my kids. Sometimes I think I'm altogether too practical.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tabitha, truly this is one of my FAVORITE blogs. The combo of images and lyrical writing blows me AWAY!!!

    Sigh. This is silly, but when I jog, sometimes I feel like I'm flying. I leave the earth and soar among the clouds. Birds wave hello, as do funny winged beetles...

    Thanks! I needed this!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tabitha, I love love this. And I'm going to remember the back pocket Mommy thing. That may help my sensitive 7yo immensely.

    My impossible thing?
    Taking a long, luxurious bath without getting wet.
    Or
    Keeping chai tea (or iced mocha) on tap--and giving it nothing but healthy, healing properties--right here at my desk.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, I love this post, Tab!! I so want my children to be creative and use their imaginations. Think impossible things. That's something I need to encourage them to do more! And I want to do it more too. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love this post. My impossible dream, that my kids will never have to experience any heartache and be perfectly happy all the days of their lives.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love, love, love this post, Tabitha. It is a gift. (Great photo too.)

    Hmmm...One impossible thing.

    A watering can that plants, waters, and weeds entire gardens with a single drop of water.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree with all the comments, Tabitha. Love this. I've been feeling not too creative lately. And I know it's because I have not let my imagination soar! Everyday this week I will write myself one impossible thing.

    Today's impossible: I am hiking to the highest point of the Rocky Mountains needing no supplies but my breathe.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love Impossible Things! Mine would be knowing what it was like to fly so much so that my feet leave the ground. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm constantly wondering about impossibilites!!! I LOVE that picture! I think that in itself could make a great analogy for writing. Another blog post?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Tabitha - Ha...it's seems the most monumental impossible thing for me to be content..but I am insistant upon it :)

    I am thinking of my friend Mike who begins Chemo today. His wife insists that the whole 7.5 hours, he VISUALIZE the cancer cells shrinking. Whew...7.5 hours of cell by cell battle??? Don't know, but I am trying to imagine the nearly impossible for him and hope his imagination is far more advanced than mine.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Lovely post Tabitha. I'd like to blink my eyes like Samatha in Bewitched and travel anywhere I want in one second. Every day I'd try something new.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, I love this!! What a great post idea, Tabitha! :-)

    My mother will somehow figure out how to be happy. (isn't it sad that I consider that an impossible thing?)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Great post! I think not allowing the idea of the impossible to real has hindered my creativity. I must go dream of the impossible now.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love the playfulness and magic dancing from the screen with this post.

    I love your examples, which I hold as some of my own impossible things.

    At the top of my list today? Travel that is connected to writing and income and adventure.

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a sweet thing to give your child. Thanks for making me smile.

    ReplyDelete
  18. For me, the biggest thing would be family reconciliation.... 15 years is long enough, right??? :O)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Hmm... Today I'd talk about why the sky turned yellow. :0)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love it! What a great mother you are to encourage imagination like that!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Tomorrow I will walk on clouds and swim in air.
    (Thanks to a nudge from my friend, Tab.)

    ReplyDelete
  22. So beautiful! I remember teaching my niece to play tea. The way she stared at me holding an imaginary cup for the first time was hilarious, but she dived right in and went with it.

    ReplyDelete
  23. You are such a wonderful mom- but then any girl who paints strawberry colours in the air will grow up to be a great mom.

    Have you seen how they jump into the chalk drawings in Mary Poppins - my kids and I often do that- we hold hands, close eyes, and jump into forests and rivers and Ancient Egypt

    ReplyDelete
  24. You're kidding, right Tab? LOL. Impossibilities are my specialty.

    Your story about your son is priceless. He will remember that, if not the details, the love and magic of it. My own mother would have told me to stop being ridiculous and go do my homework. Even today, she thinks my writing is some little hobby like collecting thimbles or something, not What I Do. She breaks my heart.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh dear, I don't think I can and that makes me sad.
    I hope that maybe my kids can teach me?

    ReplyDelete
  26. Tab, thank you for your comment on my post yesterday. Your words mean a lot.

    Liza

    ReplyDelete
  27. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Oh yes, I love this post! My son was misbehaving at school so I asked him if he had his listening ears and his happy heart. He said no, so I reached into the center console and handed them over. Then I instructed him to put them in his pocket. *grin*
    WE love pretending at my house!!

    My impossible thought though is not so impossible and not so pretend. LOL It has to do with being pubbed!!! Heeheee

    ReplyDelete
  29. oh how I love the line from Alice: "think six impossible things before breakfast"

    my son and I are always using our imagination and saying silly and crazy things. I remember the last one was just yesterday and we were flying in outer space and touching stars. so cool!

    love the post! <3

    ReplyDelete
  30. I'm not sure if my comments are coming up. Been having issues today with moderation as well as posting. Let me know if you miss any and I will stop by to leave another comment :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Goodness this is beautiful. I think I will adopt Alice's plan and write down six impossible things before breakfast too. I admire you for practising the idea with your children. That is how imagination is inspired and cherished. I wonder what happens to us when we become adults though, I'm sure circumstances are different for each. But the common thread amongst us all when we open ourselves to others is the voice of "That's Impossible".

    Sure I'll join you. I have many (im)possible dreams and they may seem trivial to others but nevertheless big to me. When I shared this one to my ex-best friend she laughed and said, He doesn't exist. My dream is to have a truly faithful husband, someone who will pick me out of a crowd of beautiful women (me the ugly, out-of-shape duckling) and treat me and my children (adopting them as his own) like a strong, Christian man should. Someone who exhibits strength, who supports my ideas, someone who talks as much as I do :) Anything I ask of him, I uphold myself. Sorry for rambling again but you really put it out there for me to think!

    Thanks again for stopping by. I know you're a busy lady :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Tab, thank you for commenting at my blog. I value your words! And big applause for you for encouraging your son to use his imagination...and in such a fun way. You really are a wonderful mom, but as Rayna said, painting strawberries in the air is key. Something impossible I'd like to make happen: have more people draw strawberries in the air!

    ReplyDelete