Snow greeted the ground outside of our little brick home in Illinois. The tiny town was as quiet as a whisper, disrupted inside our house only by the sounds of our t.v. as Mom and Dad sank into the couch, recovering from the work day.
But it wasn’t quiet in my four year old mind.
I have always been in love with imagination. My imagination was my best friend. It was my only sibling, my childhood pet. And tonight, me and my imagination were running away.
You see the thing about being pent up inside all day after a grueling day of preschool is that your mom runs out of ways to entertain you. Today she had chosen to sit me in front of a Christmas movie. So really, this had all started with her.
The movie enchanted me. I could barely tear my eyes away from the screen - this was my first time ever seeing a horse drawn sleigh. Being a young girl, horses were the primary thing on my mind. I had even told my teacher earlier that school year, “I want to be a cowgirl teacher when I grow up.” So matter of fact.
Horse drawn sleigh. Horse drawn sleigh. HORSE DRAWN SLEIGH. How awesome it must be to glide along behind your horse, with reins in mittened hands and snow in eyelashes. I HAD to ride in a horse drawn sleigh.
Of course, Mom said no, but I was determined. My four year old life would not be livable if I wasn’t in a sleigh immediately.
So my imagination and I, we got to work. We sat on our bed surrounded by dolls and chalk and books and really put our heads together.
And what would you know, after only about two picture books and one puzzle, my friend Imagination had a great idea, the kind of idea that makes you jump a little in your seat and pulls you into the walls.
Imagination had done it again! We were gonna be best friends forever. I high-fived Imagination and jumped off my bed. My parents were oblivious to the slaps of my bare feet down the stairs, into the laundry room, into the kitchen, and back up to the top of the stairs.
Imagination stood watch as I made the preparations. What a lovely plan! All we would need is a little help from my friend Katie, whose collar had become quite snug as she had gotten older. Katie wasn’t a horse, but she was always nice about going along with Imagination and I’s games. Poor thing had no idea what she was in for.
At the bottom of the stairs, the t.v. told my parents a story that must have been very interesting. They barely even heard me scold, “Katie, you’re a bad dog! Go lay down!” So I imagine they were very surprised when Imagination and I came thudding down the carpeted stairs in our laundry basket sleigh, drawn by our trusty floppy-eared steed.
What a sleigh ride! Imagination and I decided it was worth the crash at the bottom of the stairs and the timeout afterwards.
But it wasn’t quiet in my four year old mind.
I have always been in love with imagination. My imagination was my best friend. It was my only sibling, my childhood pet. And tonight, me and my imagination were running away.
You see the thing about being pent up inside all day after a grueling day of preschool is that your mom runs out of ways to entertain you. Today she had chosen to sit me in front of a Christmas movie. So really, this had all started with her.
The movie enchanted me. I could barely tear my eyes away from the screen - this was my first time ever seeing a horse drawn sleigh. Being a young girl, horses were the primary thing on my mind. I had even told my teacher earlier that school year, “I want to be a cowgirl teacher when I grow up.” So matter of fact.
Horse drawn sleigh. Horse drawn sleigh. HORSE DRAWN SLEIGH. How awesome it must be to glide along behind your horse, with reins in mittened hands and snow in eyelashes. I HAD to ride in a horse drawn sleigh.
Of course, Mom said no, but I was determined. My four year old life would not be livable if I wasn’t in a sleigh immediately.
So my imagination and I, we got to work. We sat on our bed surrounded by dolls and chalk and books and really put our heads together.
And what would you know, after only about two picture books and one puzzle, my friend Imagination had a great idea, the kind of idea that makes you jump a little in your seat and pulls you into the walls.
Imagination had done it again! We were gonna be best friends forever. I high-fived Imagination and jumped off my bed. My parents were oblivious to the slaps of my bare feet down the stairs, into the laundry room, into the kitchen, and back up to the top of the stairs.
Imagination stood watch as I made the preparations. What a lovely plan! All we would need is a little help from my friend Katie, whose collar had become quite snug as she had gotten older. Katie wasn’t a horse, but she was always nice about going along with Imagination and I’s games. Poor thing had no idea what she was in for.
At the bottom of the stairs, the t.v. told my parents a story that must have been very interesting. They barely even heard me scold, “Katie, you’re a bad dog! Go lay down!” So I imagine they were very surprised when Imagination and I came thudding down the carpeted stairs in our laundry basket sleigh, drawn by our trusty floppy-eared steed.
What a sleigh ride! Imagination and I decided it was worth the crash at the bottom of the stairs and the timeout afterwards.