I recently packed the kids up in an airplane and flew to Australia. No, I didn’t actually do that but a man can dream can’t he? Or at least imagine?
Speaking of, what happened to all of our imaginations? Remember when we were younger and cardboard boxes were spaceships? Of course you do wasn’t that the best? As we grow up, we get hit with reality and learn many things but one thing we forget is how to use our imaginations. Luckily, with the help of our children and a little bit of effort we can tap back into that imaginative side where anything is possible in the walls of our own homes.
I was sitting on my laptop and editing a chapter of my upcoming book. “Come on Scottie, help me finish building the plane so we can go flying!” Landon said. He was head of production on this project. Pretty soon the chaise lounge chair was draped with blankets and pillows. Their storage chairs attached to the side and became the “wings” of the plane. All their stuffed animals represented all the other passengers on the plane. Then without hesitation Landon climbed into the cockpit with Scottie at his side as copilot. He made a sputtering noise and fired up the plane.
I was intrigued by their sense of imagination and impeccable concept of an airplane. “We’re all ready to go Dad! Are you going to come with us?” I felt like I would be missing out on something truly unique if I had declined my invitation to board so I joined them.
“Where are we going to fly to?” We debated this for only a minute or so. The most popular destinations were 1. The kitchen, 2. The beast’s castle (from Beauty & the Beast), 3. The Bahamas. I told them we needed to think BIG and take a trip far away I said, “how about Australia?”
They loved that idea and so we took off from the runway. What would have been an 18 hour and 30 minute trip to Sydney, Australia took only about 3 minutes! As soon as we were on the ground I spotted some kangaroos. The kids wanted to go up to them and touch them so we hopped like kangaroos. After playing with the kangaroos for a while I moved over and grabbed a seat in the middle of the couch. I motioned for the kids to come join me in my safari Jeep and we could explore the Australian Outback together. I grabbed a TV remote for my steering wheel and fired up the jeep.
We saw jackrabbits, elephants, zebras, and snakes. Every time they saw a new animal they had to get out and touch it; except the snakes of course. The snakes added a small sense of danger that made our adventure even more exciting. On our way to Sydney the kids even found Nemo! We parked the jeep and hopped in the water and went snorkeling. We even saw sharks.
When our adventure was over we boarded the plane and headed for home. We all do crazy things to show our children we love them. Even if it means pretending your living room is Australia, your couch is a safari Jeep, and your chaise lounge is an airplane. In the end, we had a blast and I can’t wait to go on our next adventure!
Give your children an inch of your imagination and they will take a mile! I challenge you to tap into your creative, imaginative side and join your kids in their next adventure!
See ya next week!
Scott
