I do not have a vivid imagination. I think that is part of the reason it has taken me two years to write a novel…and the writing continues! I am just not good at letting my imagination roam. I prefer black and white. The details. The truth. The real deal.

Our granddaughter spent the night with us over the weekend and she has no problem living in the world of make-believe. She wanted to make a stage for her Barbie and as soon as she received my blessing, she quickly set about the task of creating the biggest, most marvelous stage she was allowed.

First, she walked around to find the perfect spot. She settled on the entryway. Then, she needed a box for a stage, but it is Christmastime, so the box needed to be covered with snow {aka: white paper taped all over}. The stage background was boring, so after fumbling through grandma’s pathetic supply of wrapping paper, she settled on the polka dots and coerced me to tape a piece up for her.

It was getting better, but she still had a vision, and the current stage was not satisfactory. We added some Christmas decorations. Santa checking his list was added to the side of the stage. This would be used for a different scene before we cut to Santa in the chimney, which was strategically placed on the ledge. When Santa got to the bottom, he’d find a tree, decorated with ornaments so he knew where to leave the presents. That was a very important detail. A plate of cookies and a glass of milk was also added to the stage because Santa needs his fuel. The cookies were drawn and perfectly cut into circles and the milk was an old votive vase with a piece of white paper dropped into the bottom. We placed chocolate kisses all around the tree as well, for added fun, or reindeer food. I can’t remember…

Addi decided it was also Barbie’s birthday, so we needed to make a birthday banner and a piñata for the birthday celebrations of Barbie and Jesus. But after Barbie’s performance, she needed to go home, which meant yet another scene. We made rooms for her to watch tv in, sleep in, and even an office to practice her lines in.

Being a mom of boys, this world I was stuck in seemed terribly strange. I was intrigued and fascinated, but also dreadfully inept. The number of times Addi said something like, “Not like that, grandma!!” was embarrassing!

As Addi was doing her “performance,” I couldn’t help but smile. She was so darn cute and happy, making up a script as she went along, going from scene to scene, telling us when to record and when to cut. She brought it all together like a boss! And I tell you all of this to inspire you to do the same. My six-year old granddaughter had a vision. She opened her eyes to what was available around her and she made a way to make her vision become a reality. We can do that too.  

We all have a vision of what the stage of our life should look like. We have probably even rehearsed some scenes here and there. Can I encourage you to take some advice from an unsuspecting six-year-old? Dare to dream. Let your vision come to life without fear of failing. Be patient and trust the process. Be bold and confident – and for goodness sake, rock that vision in a super cute outfit. *wink*

What is the vision you need to bring to life?