Make Believe

 
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Many years ago, there was a day when I wanted my two young children to pick up sticks and branches in the yard.

They didn’t want to do it. They saw it as work - my work.

So I told them the branches are really lambs, and we need to bring them together over there in a pile. That worked wonders. They were very happy to bring all these stray lambs together. A little “baaaa’ing” helped too.

Most were white sheep, but some they found were black sheep, and even a few pink ones, too. Some had horns. Some were baby lambs. It is amazing the enthusiasm with which the children picked up those sticks.

I must admit, it was fun for me, too.

It is amazing how looking at something in a different way changes it so much, as if we’ve suddenly tuned into another reality.

Whenever there is a difficult situation, I always keep repeating, “Please help me see this in a different way.”

Sometimes we can use our imagination (which I believe is very real), and see things in a different way, to see things beyond what our eyes can see.

It’s easy to play pretend with children. They really “get it,” and “get into it.”

Sometimes you see grown-ups do it really well, like comedy improvisers (and mimes), who can start with anything, and make a story out of it.

Perhaps the person in line ahead of me is a tug-boat captain, and the person behind is a ballerina.

It’s not that I am losing a grip on reality, but rather actuating my intuition and imagination, to see a deeper, alternate reality. I’m drawn to choose these images.

It’s fun to play with what the moment presents.

This kind of thinking always makes me feel better. Things don’t seem so serious – more open to possibility, to wildly different viewpoints.

You may want to give it a try: to play pretend and see how it feels.


Speaker: 
Bruce
Date Recorded: 
Friday, August 18, 2017
Date Posted: 
Friday, August 18, 2017
Type of GEM: 
GEM of the Day: 
Monday, October 16, 2023
Issues Addressed: 
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