Pew! Pew! Pew!
“Go to warp speed! TIE fighters ahead!” Pew! Pew! Pew!
Gliding through the galaxy of our own making, Luke, Leia and Han seated on the Millennium Falcon approach an enemy fighter head on, darting only at the last possible second while unloading a barrage of laser bullets into the unsuspecting foe.
“Direct hit!”
The Falcon made a sharp starboard turn to for another pass by the sinister invader.
Pew! Pew! Pew! A few more shots just to make sure the evil empire has been vanquished to its watery grave.
Watery Grave? In space? What?
Lessons Learned from My Kids
This is how I spent the weekend with my kids Aubri (Leia), and Zane (Luke). I was Han because I was the pilot of our version of the Millennium Falcon, a 2008 Sea Doo. The Galaxy we traveled? Lac Saint Anne.
There is nothing more that I like to do on a hot summer day than chase down weeds (otherwise known as enemy Tai fighters) with my little heroes. Zane bounces in the front, hand in the form of a gun, pew, pew, pewing between victory cries of joy. Aubri stands in the back, arms on my shoulders. She is the lookout and tells me when our wake has taken out yet another bunch of unsuspecting seaweeds. And I am content to spin around the lake until we are dizzy, or until my hands can no longer firmly grasp the steering wheel of the Falcon, or Sea Doo.
Kids have great imaginations. They have a way of making almost any activity into a game, whether it is collecting moon rocks out of the lake, or swinging through the jungle on our hammock for two. With the right attitude, everything is an adventure.
Well, except for doing the dishes!
Growing or Slowing?
The time I spend with my kids reminds me that the imagination we have can grow and develop, or it can recede into the shadows. As we get older it’s not that we have lost our imagination, it’s that we have given in to the lie that imagination isn’t important. We are taught to “get real” or to “be realistic” when it comes to our thoughts. It’s no wonder that when confronted with a problem at home or work that requires creativity that we are often stumped or come up with nothing. We can only think realistically.
Or more to the point, we can only think inside the box or the way we’ve always done it before.
Imagination as Joy
What if our imagination is a gateway to greater creativity, problem-solving and, dare I say it, joy?
Joy is an important element in the journey. Even for adults.
I too was giggling as I played the part of Han. I felt the sheer joy and wonder of being a kid again.
And it gave me the strength and desire to ‘pew pew pew’ the enemies of creativity and joy in my life. When I got back to our RV I found myself more energized than before.
Think About It
What do you need to ‘pew pew pew’ today?
What is holding you back?
Keep fighting. The galaxy is not so far away. It might be right on your desk or job site today.