Seeds of Wisdom: "Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young." --W. Somerset Maugham
I intended From the Treetop to be a deep philsophical place, but often I don't have anything deep or philosophical to say - or I don't have time to really do justice to my more serious thoughts, so I'm thinking of doing a spin off blog where I can put my more whimsical thoughts and fun stuff. That sort of entry doesn't seem to fit in here. Since I haven't had time to really set any new blog up - watch out for the boom, because we're coming about on a completely different tack here today.
I recently got a new refrigerator - one in a series of major appliances we've had to replace because ours are all breaking down at the same time. I suppose a new refrigerator is not all that exciting, but I've enjoyed the new features and extra space (the old one was very small).
After the delivery men left, I went outside to put some stuff in the trash, and I noticed the large box they had left standing in the corner of the driveway. The sight of that box immediately sucked me into a flashback.
I can't remember how old I was, when my parents went through a similar bout of buying new appliances, but I was probably around 7 or 8. I thought it was wonderful! I could have cared less about the new frig or the washing machine with the latest gizmos, all I wanted was the box. I'd plead with my parents not to throw it away. My father, who nurtured my budding imagination from the time it first appeared, gave in easily and the box was mine. All mine!
A few cuts with a knife (under parental supervision, of course. Actually, I was the supervisor/designer and my father was the wielder of the knife) and some crayon work instantly transformed the box into a vehicle for my fertile imagination. It was a house and a fort and a castle, or sometimes a submarine. Stood on its end, it was a rocket ship blasting me off to explore outer space - where no box or kid had gone before! It was even a washing machine and I was the clothes (what can I say - I was a strange kid!)
I'm sorry I never thought of using my multi use boxes for a "duplicator" or a "transmogrifier" like Calvin in Calvin and Hobbs. Those would have been very cool to have!
Standing before this new box as an adult, I wished I was a child again with a brand new appliance box to treasure and to take me on wonderful adventures. I thought seriously about asking my husband not to throw it out with the recyclables. But as I gazed on the box with a strong yearning, I realized that my adult-sized body would require a much larger box. (I can hear the Taco Bell dog, now - "I think I need a bigger box!"). Hmmm - what can I buy that comes in a much bigger box?
Posted by Cyberkat at May 18, 2002 1:09 PM