Not for all the peppermint tea in Arizona

MESA, Ariz. - Dec. 19, 2020 - PRLog -- I think my granddaughter Briannah was a waitress in a past life. She loves to play make- believe and serve tea. I was at her house last week. She had an imaginary cup in hand. I usually order coffee. However, this time I decided to mix things up.

"I think I'll have peppermint tea today," I said with a smile.

"We don't have that here," she responded.

What? Even in her fantasy cabinet there was no peppermint tea! An unlimited supply of fictional food and beverage possibilities were available to the little tyke but peppermint tea wasn't an option. I ordered my usual coffee instead.

I told my spouse CB the saga of the limited tea supply. CB surmised Briannah had never seen peppermint tea before so it wasn't part of her imaginary world. Then it occurred to me  most of us operate on the same principle. Instead of imagining and pursuing the life of our dreams, we assume we are stuck and don't even fathom there is any way out. Perhaps we think it would be silly to dream. Smart people stick to reality. If you believe that, consider this quote by Albert Einstein.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."

When I was young I spent hours daydreaming. Many adults (mostly teachers) did not approve of my fanciful thinking. However, I kept on dreaming. It paid off. As a writer, a strong imagination is crucial and I've put mine to good use.

Some consider optimism a form of denial. I don't see it that way. Optimism is a way to approach situations with an eye on success. I don't deny reality, I simply make a determination to face problems and choose a mindset that is more creative, empowering and hopeful.

Not everyone may want to be an optimist, but we do value creativity. Ask an optimist for solutions and you will get numerous options. Pessimistic responses tend to be limiting and sound like, "It can't be done. We've always done it this way. Things will never change."

This negative train of thought is especially destructive when it comes to imagining the course of our lives. Like it or not, we are always imagining something. How often have we imagined the worst, only to see it appear just as we thought? Why not focus on positive life scenarios and creating ways to manifest the results? Personally, I think adults can learn a lot from using their imagination and playing make believe.

Learn more useful tips by visiting  https://markspublicrelations.wixsite.com/sallymarks or reading my self-help book, "Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within."