THE PEANUT GALLERY: Drawing Clumsy

I often wonder, when is it we begin to lose our imagination? When do we stop dreaming the impossible, and start to stare cold hard reality in the face? When did things get so complicated, that we can't find the simple solution?

One night for homework, Peanut had to come up with six words that start with "cl" and draw a picture of each thing. One of her words, she decided, would be "clumsy." I loved that she chose this word. But my black-and-white adult brain silently wondered, "How is she going to draw clumsy?" It's so abstract. I couldn't imagine how one would draw an adjective.

So I waited. I helped her spell the words she chose. And I waited for her finished product:

"Daddy, that's me when I bumped into the door," she told me. "I'm saying 'ow!'"

If you want to draw something you can't touch, touch something that is otherwise unattainable, find the simplest solution to a complex problem, then ask a child to do it.  They're smarter beyond their years. They can dream the impossible. They can touch the sky just by reaching up and standing on their tiptoes. They can teach us so much if we only let them.

For more subtle reminders from the wisdom of Peanut, click HERE.