There's Magic in Pretending

Grownups Can Still Find the Magic

There’s Magic in Pretending

“A child needs a grandparent, anybody's grandparent, to grow a little more securely into an unfamiliar world.” ~Charles and Ann Morse

As anyone who knows me can attest, I love writing for and about children. They have such an innocent view of their world and surroundings. I’m fascinated by their unpredictable nature, their imaginations, and the many negative nuances that come with growing up haven’t found them yet.

I especially love their passion for pretending. It’s something all children do and they do it so well.

Most grownups tend to think pretending is playing, but stop and really watch them when they pretend. They work hard rehearsing and polishing their growing skills doing grownup things. They’re forever trying on new experiences, right along with dressing up in Mommy’s or Daddy’s clothes.

Magic is also real to a child, especially in the kitchen:

“Watch Mommy! She washes a hard potato, pokes holes in it, and puts it in the microwave to change it. When she takes it out, it’s not hard anymore! Mommy will smush it with a fork, put some butter on it and I can eat it! It’s magic!”

Whether we're aware of it or not, grownups still pretend. After all, isn’t that what a dream, daydream, or a fantasy is? They are all a form of pretending. Now, if a wish or a dream comes true? It’s like … magic.

Only in a dream, can we fly, soar above the trees to look down on friends or family. Only in a dream, can we walk through town and look down to see five, ten, or twenty-dollar bills lying on the sidewalk just waiting to be picked up and stuffed in our pockets.

Only in a dream, could we be chased by a tiger and unable to run because our feet are made of lead and they won’t move! Or worse, we can run, but only in slow motion!

(And only in my dreams would Tom Selleck and I -- Oh, never mind).

Is there anyone who hasn’t fantasized about picking the winning Powerball number? Can't you feel the adrenalin rush as you secretly plan what you would do with your winnings?

How about that first warm and sunny day of spring? You look out your office window and ‘see’ yourself hiking in the woods, or fishing in a boat out on a lake, or tossing a football with your son in the back yard.

Or maybe your fantasy is driving your little red sports car with the top down and the wind blowing your hair ... heck, in a daydream, you can see yourself just about anywhere but where you really are, in your stuffy office, looking out a dirty window with three hours left till quitting time.

Almost everyone has daydreamed about getting a raise ... or fantasized about telling the boss to go to hell because we didn’t get the raise. Okay, it’s safe to say, whether in a dream, a daydream or a fantasy, grownups still pretend.

Hey, I have to go now. My daughter just called and I’m going to Facetime with her and my grandsons. I want to ask the boys if they remember the days when they were younger, before I moved to Florida, when they often spent the weekend at my house.

Sometimes, we played Follow The Leader all afternoon in the pool. Other days we pretended to be pirates. The treehouse was our pirate ship and paper towel tubes were our spyglasses.

To the world, I was Grammy, about to babysit for the weekend. But just
between you and me, I was a pirate. We even made a treasure map for finding our buried treasure!

I remember one time, they promised I could be Captain Hook! Oh, that was exciting! I was getting tired of always being Tinker Bell …

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