The Best Art Comes From a Playful Imagination

The best art cannot be forced or controlled because the imagination thrives and creates in a relaxed attitude of openness, a sense of play not duty. Albert Einstein, one of the most brilliant scientists of the last century, valued imagination over knowledge.For a brainy, intellectual, Einstein had a lot to say about imagination:

” Imagination is every thing. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions”

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

Antaole France adds:

“To know is to nothing at all; to imagine is everything.”

As for me:

Suddenly an idea springs up from my inner self,

initiating a flow of words, assimilated emotions, reflections and connections

that seem to take on a life of their own.

This entire process is joyful and life-giving,

like writing with my fingers, not my brain.

“You're Never Too Old, Too Wacky, Too Wild, To Pick Up A Book And Read To A Child.”

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.”

Seuss embraced the life of the imagination and detested staid adults who dismissed the whimsical,

“Adults are just obsolete children and the hell with them.” ― Dr. Seuss

     

These quotations From Dr. Seuss hardly need an introduction. Any one who is or has been a parent will reconize most of them.This selection focuses on phrases that urge people to look at life with joyful expectation. I won't even bother expounding  on these quotes because Dr. Seuss says everything much better than I can. Anyway, Seuss hated wordy writing,
"So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.” ― Dr. Seuss

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” 

     

Born: March 2, 1904, Springfield Died: September 24, 1991, La Jolla Full name: Theodor Seuss Geisel Spouse: Helen Palmer Geisel (m. 1927–1967) Movies and TV shows: The Lorax, The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who!, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, In Search of Dr. Seuss, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Halloween Is Grinch Night, Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?, Gerald McBoing-Boing, The Hoober- Bloob Highway, The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss on the Loose, Your Job In Germany, Spies, A Lecture on Camouflage, Going Home, Welcome, The Butter Battle Book, Rumors, The Big Fun Carnival, Dr. Seuss: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, PBS Kids Goes On Vacation, The Gerald McBoing-Boing ShowMore

                                                                                                                                             

 “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

“A person's a person, no matter how small.”

"If things start happening, don't worry, don't stew, just go right along and you'll start happening too.”

“You're off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting,

So... get on your way!”

 “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.”

“So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act.

And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains.”

“If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good.”

“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.”

 

“Think and wonder, wonder and think.”

“Be who you are and say what you feel,

because those who mind don't matter,

and those who matter don't mind.”

The House That Kids Built

Picture This scene.

Five year old Anthony is leaping off the fourth stair wearing his black cape, a purple Batman sweatshirt and his 'Mountie' hat. Three year old Lucy carries a huge, old purse stuffed with cut pieces of paper and fake money and she is trailing behind seven year old Katie who is trying to make a scrapbook.

Rachel is in the same living room playing "Magic School Bus" on the computer and Emily is upstairs changing her clothes again. Dave and Matt are building a lego plane across the hall in the family room but eighteen year old Matt is the brains behind the construction.

Mara is on the phone and Melissa is listening to music that is way too loud while leaning over the upstairs railing and complaining about life.

Michael is tending the animals.

 And me?

Why I am putting in the fourth load of laundry that day and planning a folding marathon where I sort laundry and literally toss each kid their own clothes to fold

Guess what?

 I learned to be happy in the chaos. I don't have a living room , I have work and play areas. A table in the living room is covered in a 1,000 piece puzzle that people stop to work on on for a few minutes and the coffee table is Katie's craft station.

 There are goldfish on my too small counter, a huge dog who trips anyone walking through the main door and a cat who thinks she owns the most comfortable chair in the house. I warn you, do not try to move the queen! Sometimes a caged hamster or guinea pig squeaks for attention EVERY time the fridge door opens!

My kitchen walls, fridge and cupboards are covered with all kinds of art and scribble art and I have too many indoor plants.

One day my father-in-law tripped over our dog (who did not move, by the way) and he gruffly asked me,

"What is that dog doing in the house? He should live outside."

I laughed and said,

"Welcome to OUR home. We love kids, animals, plants and even y. Just come on in!"

I'm Batman Foevaaa!

       Our second youngest, was born with a zest for living. This was obvious with even a quick glance at my baby’s face. With his eyebrows raised in surprise, eyes wide open to see everything around him and lips smiling with glee, Anthony was a delightful infant, toddler and young child. Actually his temperament at twenty has not changed much at all!

Anthony had a marvellous imagination, creating dramatic play scenarios like intense sword fights with invisible villains. By the time he was two and a half, he insisted on wearing one of two batman sweatshirts every morning. Anthony needed to wear his batman sweatshirt, so I just acquiesced and washed one of the sweatshirts every night. By four-years old he had added a black cape, felt fedora hat and black barn boots to his daily uniform. His outfit was my little guy’s salute to his three heroes- Batman, Zorro and the Canadian Mounted Police.

Anthony tried to imitate Batman’s ability to fly. I caught him just in time when he was three, as he slung a leg over the banister, so he could sweep down and save a hapless victim of crime. After that incident, I convinced him to jump off the fourth step of the front hall staircase. Honestly that little boy jumped countless times every day, black cape billowing behind him. One afternoon, a doctor passed us in a hospital and smiled at Anthony’s outfit,

“Oh my, what do we have here, Batman?”Anthony took a flying leap, cape billowing behind him again and answered,

“Oh no, I’m Batman Foevaaaa....”  

 Another time, as we sat in a doctor’s waiting room, four-year old Anthony backed up and then crouched low like a runner’s preparing to sprint towards the plate glass window. Shocked, I called out,

“ANTHONY, what are you doing?”

My four-year old son adjusted his tense stance and said,

“I am going to run and leap and smash that glass with my feet! Then I’ll fly through the air.”

However, Anthony did get a few chances to really fly when his older brother’s friends came out to the farm.  Matthew’s friends would play catch throwing Anthony instead of a ball. With his little legs tucked, arms clutched tightly around his bent legs, the strong teenagers would toss my son between each other!!  

It was teenage sleepovers that provided Anthony with his most memorable flying feats. On early Saturday mornings, he would run from our big farm kitchen, down the hall and then launched himself into the air to land on all the teenage bodies strewn about the family room. A series of groans and moans joined Anthony’s gales of laughter as he yelled,

“Come on guys, it’s time to get up!”  

Matthew’s friends still shake their heads and grin when they remember their flying alarm clock.

"BUT Cecil is still up!"

Everyone else had left the funeral home as Cecil’s family and mine shared another amusing memory and laughed together.  I had broken the ice with the first story but soon everyone spoke up and added their favourite memory of Cecil and the Juneau’s. The atmosphere was reminiscent of a traditional Irish wake.

I looked around the circle at our former neighbour’s smiles and I was surprised, surprised that the antics of our large family had been so entertaining and memorable to Cecil and his clan.  I had simply done whatever came to my mind to keep a lot of little people busy, safe and happy.  Now teenagers, Cecil’s grand-daughters were still delighted with my summer tradition of filling a baby bathtub with ice and snow from my old-fashioned freezer. They played for more than an hour with spoons, cups, bowls and food colouring as I kept the tub filled with frosty snow.

Cecil’s widow especially enjoyed the memory of our “walks” down our short, dead-end country lane. It was a virtual parade that consisted of children all under 12 vying for the opportunity to push the baby in a buggy, a toddler riding on a wagon, dutifully pulled by one of the older kids, a pre-school child sitting on bright yellow duck with wheels, bikes and tricycles ridden in circles around younger siblings and me, usually pregnant, sipping a nice hot cup of tea and walking as slowly as possible.

I think that Cecil’s kindness was symbolized best by the image of my two-year old son sitting on his knee “helping “ cut grass with Cecil’s lawn tractor. Matthew was thrilled with the chance to sit on the small tractor, even when it was parked.  This excitement never dimmed.  As Matthew grew, he  had to stand on the back of the tractor and finally by seven-years old, he could no longer hitch a ride but could only WALK behind the tractor. My son was still out there with Cecil, walking up and down the rows of grass for countless hours because Cecil was Matthews’s best friend in those days with the foundation of their friendship rooted in their mutual love of tractors.

One evening, around 7:30, after Matthew’s bath, I called him for a bedtime story. Matthew had been peering out the window, watching Cecil work in his garden. This three year-old turned to me and wondered why HE had to go to bed,

“BUT Cecil is still up!”