“Imagination is the spark that ignites the fire of creativity”. Richard L. Peterson
Don’t you love a great story?
Come sit with me, do I have a story for you…
Let’s begin long ago, when I was a very young age, not yet four years old, I ‘ve been told that I had a very active imagination. In fact, I remember vividly the excitement of “telling stories” that I had imagined, to entertain the adults around me.
I am the first child, and the only daughter of my young parents, who lived in an old Summer Kitchen, behind my mother’s parents’ century-old farmhouse, in order to save money to someday buy a home of their own.
Four adults were my constant companions, friends, and only playmates, along with various farm animals on the property. When outside, I played in an old, no longer used, corncrib, a wash house, the large barn, outhouse, and an abandoned garage. My playhouses put Barbie’s to shame, there was no comparison, and I could not have been happier!
Summer on the farm was heaven on earth. Flowers to pick, paths to walk and explore, corn rows to march through, and fresh hay to feed the animals.
My fondest memories are of the times spent with my grandmother. She was the mother of four children and had wanted to be an Elementary teacher when she was younger. She was a character…with a fiery 100% Irish spirit, a huge generous heart and such a storyteller! She’s the “teacher” that taught me about imagination, and encouraged me to write, read, create and to share my “stories” with others.
On one very hot summer’s day, we crossed the gravel lane while walking together to the Wash House, a tiny square little white building reserved for doing the weekly “wash”. As we walked side by side, she said, “Beth Ann, do you know about Before and After’s? What that means?”
“No.”
“Today we’re going to learn what that means.” Pointing down at two dirty dog bowls on the ground, both rusted from rain, and one caked with dried dog food, she looked at me and grinned.
“Look at the bowls closely, so you can remember what they look like now. This is the Before. If you can change how they look, that will be the After.”
She handed me an old bucket and a brush, saying, ” these are some of the tools you will need”.
“But my bucket is empty! I need water and soap.”
“I’ll wait.”,
When I could see my reflection in the shiny-tin bowls, I looked up from scrubbing, searching Grandma’s face for approval.
Smiling, she said, “THIS is the after!” and that’s what people mean when they talk about before and afters! “YOU made that happen, the bowls did not change themselves.”
I felt so very grown- up and proud.
So happy that Grandma was happy!
I’m writing this now, because the lesson I learned that day was a simple one, but a lesson that has truly shaped the very essence of who I am, how I am happiest, and it developed a love for creativity that I will never “outgrow”.
The encouraging declaration of, “You made this happen,” has been a lifesaver for me several times. Divorced and unemployed, I literally created jobs to support myself and my daughters. Later, as a Recruiter, I found jobs for people with companies that weren’t even hiring! As a single mother, I also discovered how to make our home cozy and comforting with very little money,
Imagination is a wonderful gift for a child. It can offer comfort, peace, protection and escape, excitement and true joy!
Today, as I’m designing or creating, the vision I now “see”, no matter how wonderful, will never exist without reaching out for the bucket, gathering my tools, and scrubbing with everything I’ve got. There is no ” After”, without the work.
I wonder sometimes what my life would be, if I hadn’t reached out for the bucket.
xx,
