The Gift of Imagination

Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

I love that!

Not because I disregard knowledge. Quite the contrary. I strongly believe in the value and importance of learning until I breathe my last breath. There is so much to experience and take in, that it’s impossible to run out of new things to add to the brain’s library.

But I think that in our culture today, often times we put such an emphasis on book learning, degrees, and technical skills that we forget that without someone using their imagination – we wouldnt have the advances or opportunities we have today.

Imagination sparks the need for knowledge.

An imagination also provides society with fashion, architecture, music, works of art, and movies. Books written with imagination provide us with laughs, romance, and adventures to far-away places. They give us a break from the stress we may feel in our professional or home life.

As a child, I loved to use my imagination. I’d pretend with dolls, write stories, and act out plays with my neighborhood friends. During the summer, I’d sit under a tree, listen to the birds, and watch the clouds float overhead while I created a variety of characters and worlds in my mind.

I still write stories. My husband sometimes asks, “How do you come up with this stuff? Where does it come from?” It comes from my imagination. But, it takes letting go of things that “need” to be done. It takes quiet. And allowing my mind to wander to wherever it wants to take me.

“Solitude is as needful to the imagination as society is wholesome for the character.” ~ James Russel Lowell

Solitude. It’s hard to come by for most people, isn’t it? And time. It’s rare for people to find time to sit and do nothing but think. But it’s vital if the imagination is going to create its best work.

You may believe that you don’t have an imagination. Or that you’re not creative. If you’ve ever daydreamed – you’ve used your imagination. If you’ve ever thought about what it would be like travel to a different country, what a recipe in a magazine might taste like, or how a sofa in a store will look in your living room . . . you’ve used your imagination. It’s all in how you look at things.

One more quote. Just because I love this one so much.

“They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” ~Edgar Allan Poe, "Eleonora"

You have an imagination. Trust me. Take the time to discover and enjoy it.

Have a great week!

Dawn