Now be honest; when was the last time you actually sat down and did a little reading? Did you knock a few pages out before bed last night? Did you spend a few moments of your busy weekend out in your backyard flipping through an exciting new bestseller? I hope so. Because while you're body sits comfortable and your fingers flip those word covered pages one by one, your mind is simultaneously creating the scene, characters, outfits, noises, and voices for you. Like I said, it's a beautiful talent and you should consistantly exercise it.
Most people will agree that their fondest memories of growing up are the they shared with their childhood friends. In particular, the hours upon hours that we would spend romping around the neighborhood and nearby forests pretending to be whoever we felt like being that day. And whoever that person was could be anywhere that we felt like being in those moments. I've been chased by dinosaurs, fought off hordes of monsters and demons with swords and magic powers, and plunged from giant waterfalls only to surface and ascend it with ease once again. Impressive, right? Not to mention that the countless lives G.I.Joe, Barbie, Ken, and all four Ninja Turtles lived are all thanks to us because we forged them somewhere deep in the cosmos of our imaginations. You're welcome, guys. It was really nothing.
The unfortunate thing is that video games, television, and the Internet seem to be robbing current and future generations of this. Now listen, I'm not trying to make the claim that I'm perfect. I couldn't even begin to estimate how many hours I burned watching The Land Before Time or Jurassic Park over and over again in my first twelve years of existence. I'll even admit that I spent most of the year 2000 sitting in front of a computer monitor hacking away with a mouse on Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo II. We're all guilty of things like this, but I'm not trying to make you consider them to be taboo either. For all the time I spent leading Link through dungeons on a screen, my raptors were brawling with a T-Rex in the dirt pile wilds of my backyard. I wasted plenty of time watching Nickelodeon in my day, but I also read nearly every single Goosebumps book ever published. A little balance is all you really need.
The children I will one day raise are going to have puzzles, coloring books, Legos, and action figures before they ever know how to operate an X-Box controller. They'll have sprinklers, Nerf guns, Super Soakers, and blanket forts in and around the house. They'll scrape their knees, ruin their shoes, and eat dirt because I won't discourage them from doing so. Why? Because I want that sense of free imagination to stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Don't ever neglect your imagination or those of others'. Don't hold back. Don't hold others back either. Encourage it infinitely. Now close your browser and go read a book outside for an hour.
"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free" -Michelangelo.
For this side not, I wanted to try and give an excuse for my lack of discipline as far as my blogs go. The problem I'm running into is this; I don't have one. I need you to know that I truly truly TRULY appreciate those of you that do actually read and maybe even enjoy the things that I choose to write about. To feel as though I've let some of you down when I don't stick to my Thursday promise is not pleasant. I can only assure you that I'm very much conscious of all this and don't have any plans at all of abandoning this blog or writing in general. I'm simply enjoying my summer and the beautiful weather and moods that come with it. So, go outside today, reader. The Internet will be here when you get back. I promise.
