What If...

"What If"... Isn't that such a fun phrase?  There are so many possibilities with "What If"; so many places to go with the mind, both good and bad.  It could lead to fabulous dreams as well as horrid nightmares, all which start with the thought "What If".

I recently pulled out a book ("If...(Questions for the Game of Life)" by Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell) off my book shelf that is a fun one for philosophical dreamers such as myself.  It is a compilation of questions.  The authors say it best in the Intro:

"If is the ultimate book about fantasy.  Each of its questions is meant to spark and tantalize the imagination.  They are a celebration of the human spirit, which loves to dream and needs to hope, but which can also fear and even grow angry.  Our ability to imagine is the remarkable gift we have been given to lead is into joy and aspiration and out of despair and sadness, because common to all of us is the idea that there could be a different world, perhaps a better one...We all fantasize and we all dream...Fantasies are what inspire us all; to work, marry, raise families, create, improve our world.  It is why we lose ourselves in books, go to movies, watch television, go to the ballgame and on vacation...without our fantasies we would be lost.  We imagine in order to learn, to understand, to strive, to attempt, to predict, to avoid, to correct, to describe, to solve."  "And so, aside from the truths that are revealed, the contemplation that is provoked, the confidence or anxiety that surfaces, the self-knowledge that results, or the understanding that might be gained, above all we hope that asking these questions inspires optimism, since no matter who or what we really are, we share the ability to travel together the unpredictable journey of the imagination, which leads us through the wonderful game of life."

"Spark and Tantalize the imagination."  I just love that description; it is delicious to my mind.  Anything that sparks and tantalizes the imagination sounds awesome to me!  May you have many things that 'spark and tantalize' you!

"They are a celebration of the human spirit, which loves to dream and needs to hope".   "Loves to dream and needs to hope"; that is something I would not have thought of or put into words myself, but when I see it written, it makes me think of how true it is.  "Needs to hope".  Do all of us need to hope?  Do we all have hope?  Without hope, is there nothing but despair?  I know for me and what I am currently going through with all this nasty joint pain, I sure as hell hope it will get better.  I wish I knew exactly when, or if, the end was near (as I write those words, I should specify that I wish the end of the pain was near - not the end of my life).  And I also hope that my kids have a good, happy life.  I hope I can enjoy retirement and my grandchildren.  I hope my husband's company doesn't close.  I hope to not have financial worries.  The list really can go on and on; thus there is a lot of things that we do hope about in our lives.  World peace, end to hunger and poverty...all that good stuff!

"Fantasies are what inspire us all...to create...to improve our world".  If fantasies bring about beautiful works of art as well as inspire those to make the world a better place, well then I say, bring on the fantasies.

May you all have wonderful fantasies, dreams, and inspirations!


Lost in Fantasy Land,

Me


Motivational Moment:

I thought I would pick out some of the questions from the "If..." book mentioned above for you to have fun with and get lost in thought and dreams.  Enjoy!

 - If you were granted one wish, what would it be?
 - If you could eliminate any one type of insect permanently from the earth, what would you get rid of?
 - If you could permanently alter one thing about your physical appearance, what would you change?
 - If you could change one thing in the world right now, what would you alter?
 - If you had to lose one of your five senses, which would you give up?
 - If you could have any one specific power over other people, what would it be?
 - If you could possess one supernatural ability, what would it be?
 - If a photograph of one part of your body were to be used in an advertisement, which part would you want to be used, and for what product or service?
 - If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?
 - If you could cure any disease, what would it be?


My wish for you is peace and happiness for who you are right now!