Pretend

I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with a precious six year old who is sweet, funny, cuddly, and so very playful. From the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to bed, she is constantly engaging herself and others in pretend play. “Let’s play snake!” (with a jump rope). “Let’s play campsite!” (gets out the sleeping bag). And my favorite of the weekend, “Let’s play roommates with these paper dolls! This is the bed, this is the kitchen, and this is the bathroom. Pretend that every time you go into a room, I surprise you because I’m already there.” Each surprise scenario led to so many giggles.

This had me wondering — and I giggled myself about this — what if people my age had the exact same mindset and way of being in the world, but with this-age things?

Pretend you’re having a midlife crisis!

Act like you’re about to sign for a mortgage, but the previous owners back out of the deal!

Okay, you’re about to make dinner, but you realize you don’t have enough energy, so you just go to Chipotle.

Maybe that wouldn’t quite work. But her way of being is inviting. I think we could do with more imagination, possibility-thinking, and believing that things could turn out beautifully, even magically. We just have to be open to them, try them out, engage in the right kind of scenarios, and together, make them so.

—Renee Roederer