What a brilliant man Theodore Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) was!  Not sure what factors went into creating the phantasmagorical mind of his, but as a child of the 60′s I was enthralled and entertained by his word wrangling ways. Even into his teens, my now 25 year old son’s favorite book of the good doctor’s was The Cat In The Hat. I think he rather fancied the idea that the kids got away with stuff that their mother didn’t know about.

When I saw this quote, I was tickled, since this is how I live. I think it comes in part from growing up in a goofy family. I was speaking with my friend Joan Schaublin last night on my way home from a loooonnnng day at work. She was my intro into the company that published my book and we have remained in touch, each recognizing a kindred spirit even though we haven’t yet met face to face. We were sharing about our family functional craziness that manna-fested in the form of knowing that we could do or be anything we wanted, that was reinforced by our respective parents. Any idea as long as it could support us financially and bring us joy is what my parents wanted for my sister and me. It sounds like Joan’s folks had the same thing in mind and did what they could to help her realize her dreams. I was never told to ‘be realistic’. My dreams and visions were nurtured. Is that fantasy? I don’t know.

The Merriam-Webster on line dictionary defines it as  “The free play of creative imagination.  Creation of the imaginative faculty whether expressed or merely conceived: as a: a fanciful design or invention .”  It first came into use in the 14th century and even the sound of it tickles my creative soul. Fantasy, to me isn’t unrealistic. In psychology, it is often disparaged as ‘magical thinking’. Hey, I’m all for magical thinking, especially if it plants the seeds for what I would like to come fruition. I also told Joan last night that I can’t recall ever having any naysayers in my life, who told me that I couldn’t fulfill my deepest heart desires. We mused about how fortunate we were and wondered why we were the exception to the rule. I would be interested in knowing how many who are reading this fall into that category.

I have found that this ability to view life through the lens of  the non-sensical (which means to me that sometimes things just don’t make logical sense) allows it to be easier to weather the winds of change, ride the waves of wonder and laugh at the absurdities of life. I am often asked how I manage to remain happy in the face of all kinds of personal challenges and hearing people’s stories at work as a social worker/therapist. Seeing the world through that inverted telescope helps keep my brain enlivened and sparking with all sorts of fantastical ideas!  Just wait and see what comes next~

www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DVZ5FsOZWC3A Fantasy by Earth, Wind and Fire