“The world is but a canvas to the imagination.” ~ Henry David Thoreau.
Nurturing imagination in children is an act of love.
My friend had some children over and one of them suggested they build a bridge over her large pond to see the goldfish more easily. Instead of telling the child all the reasons why this cannot happen, my friend said, “Yes, and then we can stand on the bridge and see way more fish!”
Then another child said, “And then we can lower a tube into the murky water so we can see the fish more easily!”
And another said, “And then we could drop bits of food into the tube so we could feed them!”
This went on for 30 minutes. Not once did anyone say Yes But. Nurturing imagination and self-esteem was more important than pointing out ideas of practicality.
“Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.” ~ H. L. Mencken
During this week, look for ways to practice the Spirit of Yes And, or as children may say, And then…, by playing along with, and nurturing, the creative imaginings of children.
Loving a child means playing in their world for a while.
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Related Reading:
The Spirit of Yes And
Co-Create Dirt Pie
Related Training:
Remembering to Play ~ Inspiring Joy, Freedom & Self-Care
Keynote Information