Pure Imagination

Hello readers!


It has been way too long since I last posted. I started out my summer with great plans to post more often and write about the different books I read. Well, you see how that turned out. I will admit I got a little lazy. But school is almost back in session for me (two days away to be exact), so I may be writing again fairly often. But lets move on to what I really want to talk about.

I don't know if you've heard of a movie called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or not. For those of you that may not already know this bit of trivia, this movie is actually based of Roald Dahl's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (an interesting thought for later), not to be confused with the strange version that (relatively) recently came out (another interesting thought for another post). But, thinking about the original movie, there is a song that is essentially Willy introducing the children and their parents to the chocolate room (you know, the one with the chocolate waterfall). One of the lyrics in that song is my favorite from the movie:

Come with me, and you'll be in a world of pure imagination. Take a look and you'll see into your imagination.

And a little later in the song:

There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there you'll be free if you truly wish to be.

Wonka is telling the visitors to expect the unexpected, and to not hold themselves back from exploring the wonders of a childlike mind. If you think about it in a different way, it can also describe the world of books. Just like the chocolate factory, books can hold so many wonders that "defy explanation", that can take you wherever you wish to go, let you do whatever you want to do.

What do I mean by that? In books, there is no limit to the places your imagination can take you, and absolutely no limit to the things your imagination will let you do. When you read, at least in the case of all the readers I have had contact with, you live alongside the characters in the book, reacting to what they react to, doing what they do.

Reading also inspires many different things that don't even have to do with opening a book and reading it. Books have inspired songs, art, even dances. So the imaginative journey is not limited to the pages within a book. A book will stay with you, unlocking more and more of your imagination.

"Take a look and you'll see into your imagination"

As I've said in a previous post, no two people read the same book, ever. One person can read a book and imagine the dragon as long and sleek, with sharp features. Another person can read the same book and imagine the same dragon as muscular and stocky with rounded features. Both read the same description; both see a different dragon. That is the magic of imagination at work. Your imagination is truly limitless. As my mother likes to say, the only person who limits you is you. So it is in this case. The only thing limiting your imagination is yourself, your own belief. If you just see books as ink on a sliver of tree, you're missing out on the magic contained within that ink. But, if you allow the ink to paint a picture in your mind, and let it take you on a journey, then you are experiencing your imagination at work. And you thought magic didn't exist!

"Living there you'll be free if you truly wish to be"

You only get out of it what you put into it. That is a phrase every single one of us has heard at least a dozen times in our lives. If you only put a halfhearted effort into something, you'll only get a halfway decent product. The same goes for reading. You cannot get a full fledged adventure,a vivid painting, or an overall satisfying experience if you only approach books with a half-open mind. Too many times I have approached a story with a half-open mind, when halfway through I realize that I enjoy the story and open myself fully to it, only to realize that I missed so much of the adventure and excitement. Allow your imagination to run freely with you when you read. It makes for a much better adventure.

"It's all in your mind." This is yet another phrase I'm sure we've all heard a time or two. It does sadden me when people tell me that they can't get into a book or that it just didn't connect with them. Granted, not all books are for all people and reading isn't for everyone. But at the same time, I've seen where people who have the potential to enjoy reading, don't because of one thing or one person who tainted it for them. That is why I think that it is all in someone's head (not all the time, but most of the time) when they say they don't like to read. I say try. There is a "world of pure imagination" waiting to be explored.

Going back to Wonka showing the children around his factory, it makes me think of a picture I haven't talked about yet. Wonka is the author, the factory is his book, and the children and their parents are the readers. Wonka is proud of his creation, his brainchild, his world of imagination, and wants to share it with others. But not everyone appreciates it the way he intends to. The children greedily consume the factory (quite literally in some cases) with no appreciation for the splendor. The parents don't see the wonder at all, and only see it for what they think it is: something to be profited from. But, you do have the one child who appreciates it for the amazing work of magic that it is. Charlie is the one who let his imagination free and saw through all the curtains and smoke. He saw a wonderful adventure just waiting for him. And he shared in the imagination with Wonka, and saw the vision of a wonderful, delicious world.

I'm not trying to demean those who truly don't like to read. I understand that. But for those who think they don't like to read, I do hope they can be like Charlie, seeing the magic underneath the surface. There is a picture that I have seen time and again of an open book with what looks to be sprays of pixie dust coming from its pages. That is how I see books: full of the magic that is imagination waiting to be released by some willing reader.

I could go on and on and on about the wonderful world contained within books, but my brain and fingers are growing tired. Share this with someone who is unconvinced, or someone who has a vivid imagination!

Let me know your thoughts about pure imagination!

Happy reading!

Why I Read

Hello readers

It has been a little while since I last posted. I've been busy with summer term and life in general. But that has not stopped me from reading!

Today's post is one that I've been stewing on for a while now. To give a background of why I've been thinking about it for so long, let me tell you the sweetened condensed version of the story.

I was taking an introductory business course my first semester at college. Toward the end of the term, I was placed into a group with three other students. One day, one of my teammates, for the sake of anonymity and forgetfulness of names and all that good stuff I'll call him Will, and I were waiting in the library for the rest of the team to arrive so we could discuss our project. (I'm sure everyone who has taken any college course, especially a business course, can understand this!)  Well Will and I started talking to pass the time, and the subject of reading came up. After talking for a minute about it, Will asked me an unusual question, one that I'd never been asked before. I don't remember the exact wording that he used, but he asked if I took reading seriously, treating the worlds within the stories as real. I told him yes I do. He responded with the craziest (at least to my mind) statement, and as soon as he said it I knew he was not a reader, and had not experienced the joy that is reading, at least not in the way I have experienced it. Again, I don't remember the way he worded it, so I'll paraphrase his response. He said I should not take it so literally, that I should keep my head out of the clouds. The world around me is more important than the ones I find in books, and my life in the real world is the best thing to focus on than the one that I experience in books, according to Will. You can imagine that I did not like that comment too well. However, instead of jumping into a rant about how I love to read and just how good for the soul a good book is, I just nodded and said maybe so. So, that is the shortened version of the story behind why I have been thinking about this for a while. Over the past year it it will come back to mind and I will have one of those arguments inside my head and you totally kill the other person and win your case. But unfortunately Will is no longer around to hear it. So, here I am typing it out for you to read, my defense for why I read and lose myself in books.

To start with, books do not addle the brain, despite what Aunt March says. On the contrary they can make a brain a better thing, especially if it is nurtured properly. Reading stories can help develop imaginations which can spill over into the real world. With a greater imagination comes greater creativity. Greater creativity can lead to success in any career regardless of the field of work; it pushes readers to think outside the box to come up with unique solutions to problems of all shapes and sizes. One example, albeit humorous yet not so humorous, is how to respond to any insult or situation. You've heard of Disney comebacks for any situation; well there is the literary equivalent. This could really be expanded to responses for any awkward situation. I usually use a common phrase from Bryan Davis' books whenever I'm thinking too hard or I'm bombarded with information. The phrase is "My brain is choking!" Of course the effect is much better if you have a panicked look on your face and hold both hands to either side of your head. ;-)  I did get a little off subject, but I think it was worth it. That's just a small advantage that readers have over non-readers. But a part of my point about the imagination is readers are able to picture things in their minds. Books, especially those without pictures, give flight to the imaginations of those who open their pages. As a person reads the words on a page, the picture that the author has so wonderfully painted forms in their mind, giving them a viewing portal into the world in which the characters live. And that my friends, is imagination at work and being exercised.

Another advantage is the ability to escape. Stories give readers the wonderful opportunity to escape from the worries of the present world and run to the embrace of another place and sometimes another time, into the open arms of friends both old and new. I can't tell you how many times I have picked up a book to forget what I'm worried about or to run off on an adventure and escape the normal routine. Sometimes I just need a little comfort that can't be offered by anyone present, but the characters in the story world give me just what I need. If I need a laugh there are books that do just that (I'm reading one such book right now); if I need a word of wisdom any book on my shelf will give me what I need. So, books can provide the means for escape and comfort that nothing else can provide. Sure a movie or a video game can provide that, and for some people that is their outlet, but there is something special about using your imagination to paint a picture in your mind's eye and interpreting the descriptions for yourself.

Yet another reason why I love to read is this: I meet so many new friends. With every book I pick up I learn a new name that I know I will grow to love and a new name I will grow to despise and never want to see. And yet, each name is dear and special to me. Yes I may not want to see that character ever again, but I still want to see their name on the page because I know that means the story is not over yet and I don't have to say goodbye just yet to the characters I do like. There are some characters who have left the story worlds that I read, never again to dance across the pages, and that fills me with grief whenever I open those books. Yes, I can always go back and read the stories again, but that separation will always be there. I will never again meet them for the first time, never reel from the shock of their disappearance. These characters include Susan, Peter, Professor Kirk, Mr. Tumnus, and Reepicheep; Sapphira, Elam, Karen, and Professor Hamilton; Brom; Boromir; all these just to name a few. Some have died and some have just left the story altogether to live happily ever after, but they are my friends all the same. At the same time I have many friends who are still in the story at the end: Meggie and Mo; Maria, Robin, and Sir Benjamin; Aslan; Billy, Bonnie, Matt, Lauren, and Clefspeare. Through these friends I have gained wisdom, learned how to fight evil and allow good to prevail, how to persevere and hold on to my faith when it seems like all hope is lost.

Reading has taught me patience. (I know, this is probably a stretch, considering I do glance ahead to see if a character is still present later in the book) In spite of my flaw, I have developed a patience in waiting to learn what happens. There are many times when there is a situation in one of my books that I want to see resolved but it won't be resolved for several chapters because of a skipping between points of view. There is also the wait between books in a series! That is probably the worst kind of waiting when it comes to reading because even when you can't stand it any more and have to know what comes next, you can't look ahead except at the summary that the author might decide to give. And that is enough to drive any book lover absolutely bonkers!

One last thing is reading teaches readers to be quiet and still, even when everything around us is not. I could write a whole post about how calming a book can be, and I might do just that at a later date. Even when everyone else is running around and losing themselves in the hustle and bustle and noise around them, a reader can immerse herself in a good book and tune out everything else. This is what makes reading so relaxing. It helps a reader to slow down and de-stress, distracting from the worries of the day.

That is why I love to read. These are abbreviated reasons, but they still show just how wonderful it can be.

Even dogs love to read!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on reading and what it means for you! Tell me in the comments. Then go read a book and put your head in the clouds.

Happy reading!