Imagine All The People....

Is imagination more important knowledge? Albert Einstein's reply: "I'm enough of an artist to draw freely on my imagination, which I think is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." 

When we are young we are encouraged to use our imagination. We are asked to draw, paint, write and play however we are moved. No matter the story we tell we are praised for using our imagination. And then it happens. We grow up. We learn there is no Santa Claus. We learn the princess in the castle doesn't really exist. We learn that GI Joes don't always make it out of siege from under the couch. The sky isn't always blue and the grass isn't always greener in our reality. Imagination is looked upon as an illness. Box it. Bag it. But certainly don't encourage it. 

Imagination is what spurs us to create and to strive for better. We use it to create businesses, build buildings, write stories, and for those of you with children, parent. We become brilliant when we use our imagination. Without it Columbus would never have set out to sail the seven seas. Our tallest skyscrapers would remain three stories high. We would never have looked across the river and imagined a bridge to get us there. We wouldn't have taken to flight. We would be flat, grounded, stuck...

In The Clouds

If imagination is the gas to get us to our hopes and dreams. Knowledge is the vehicle that will carry us there. We can only spend so much time in the skies before we make our way down to Earth and hit the floor running. When I was a child I'm sure my father hoped for me to one day marry a doctor or a lawyer. Anything but a musician or a poet. Certainly not an artist unless it was just a hobby. Imagination is for hobbies. Knowledge is for the work force. I would argue that without both we would have no work force. Those with the greatest imaginations take the greatest risks. And quite frankly those with the most knowledge are often times to fearful to allow their feet to leave the comfort of the ground in which to fly. However they are also the ones that make imagination reality. 

So whether you were the straight A student or the artist. Whether you spend your time on Wikipedia or Pinterest. We need each other. We need those with  over active imaginations that allow us to dream big. And we need those with so much, even too much knowledge that it hurts. 

Aim for the clouds and hit the floor running....


Albert Einstein: dropped out of secondary school, failed his exams in college, had a child out of wedlock, divorced in 1919, married his first cousin. And yet he is known for E=MC^2, the Theory of Relativity and his acceptance of the Nobel Prize in Physics. Do not let life's circumstances define you.

We...

Life is precious! Life is sweet! How quickly we forget. We spend day after day bombarding our bodies with chemicals, unhealthy foods, sun damage, cleaners, exhaust, and stress. We heal and we begin all over again. It is an endless cycle and we hedge our bets every day hoping we aren't the one who draws the short stick on life. Some of us live with the notion, we are all born with a set of predestined days. Others feel they will ride life hard and live it to the fullest. After all no one is telling them how to live.

THE REALITY

I spent the better part of Wednesday with a friend at her chemotherapy treatment. 29 years old. Mother of three. Wife to a hard working police officer. Graceful. Beautiful: inside and out. Patient and kind. And yet facing a battle with cancer. She sat smiling while we waited for her treatments to begin. No one was going to extinguish her light. I sat, healthy...inherently so at least, wondering how we can take life for granted. None of us expect to be the one on the other side of the chemo window. Looking out at the world as they run around getting things done. Enjoying their health for another day. If they could only hear the hollers, warning them to act. Urging them to change the path they are on. Quietly hoping they will fight for the bodies they are given, because they aren't promised tomorrow.

GROWING UP

We learned at a very young age how important our health is. We learned that physical education is important and that eating healthy foods help us to grow up healthy and strong. And yet as we age we also realize that we get to make the decisions on what we eat and what we do. Sadly, we know that sugar tastes better than veggies and exercise is so much more work that watching tv. We work hard at our jobs and reward ourselves with sweet treats and we watch tv as if we are the ones determining who will be getting the Emmy Awards this year.  (Don't get all excited, those of you that prefer salty and fatty foods and movie watching. You aren't off the hook.) Life is hard. Being healthy is even harder. I get it. I do. However, every choice we make gets us closer or farther away from our goals. So the next time you are staring a doughnut down wondering if it really matters. Ask yourself. Does this get me closer to or farther away from my goal? And if you goal is to become a professional doughnut eater you may want to grab two. However, if you goal is to be healthier, happier, and full of life. Forgo the doughnut. Grab an apple and heck maybe this time grab one that isn't sprayed with chemicals. Call it what you want. Stamp it with whatever sticker you choose, but for the love, just this once make a better decision than you did yesterday. Your future self will thank you.

WE...

We wake, we eat, we play we sleep.
We have so many appointments we have to keep.
We wish we had more hours in our day.
We don't care how we get them, we are willing to pay.
We strive to earn more, many would confess.
We demand for our food, that we spend less.
We him and ha, struggle and grapple.
We couldn't possibly spend more for an apple.
We close our eyes and hope for the best.
We have so much to do, our health is such a pest.
We buy another pill and order another coffee.
We refuse to simply listen to our bodies.
Sometimes its not fair the cards in our hand
And sometimes it doesn't matter what we had planned.
There will always be something to do.
And you'll always want to buy one and get two
It just doesn't matter how much you spend
If it gets you farther away from 'the end'. 


My favorite things in life don't cost any money. It's really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.
Steve Jobs 

Time and health are two precious assets that we don't recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted.
Denis Waitley 

Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.
Napoleon Bonaparte