Imagination….

Yesterday we went to Universal Studios with the children to check out the new Harry Potter part of the park.

Karl and I had been fortunate to have gone the day before child free as my parents very kindly had the boys for the day so we could have a day to ourselves (I think my mother was generally concerned at our alcohol consumption and thought we needed a break!)

I won’t spoil the surprise for anyone who hasn’t been but essentially you can spend time in Diagon Alley before taking the Hogwarts Express to the park next door ending up in Hogsmeade. There are rides, shops, street shows and a number of places you can buy butterbeer (yummiest drink in the world, I recommend the frozen kind.) 

When Karl and I walked into Diagon Alley I wish someone could have taken a picture of our faces. It’s overwhelming, the books come to life, the films come to life and I felt like a child again, excited and a bit too enthusiastic, so much so that Karl kept losing me as I buzzed around looking from shop to shop! Every fine detail had been given attention to so much so that you could spend hours just looking. 

I was amazed looking around, it was like some kind of magic spell had been cast over the hundreds of grown adults around us. There were people just like us everywhere staring in wonder, shrieking as things moved in the windows and the dragon breathed fire from overhead. These people like us probably have quite serious, responsible jobs on the outside world but there they were reliving parts of a series of books they have treasured and literally getting lost in the world of their imagination.

It occurred to me when do we lose this? When do we go from viewing the world with wonder and wide eyes to being cynical and seeing only the ordinary and not the potential in everything around us?

My question was answered when we were queuing to get onto the Hogwarts Express with the boys. Both Nate and Leo got themselves into a real tizzy at the prospect of a visit from the dementors on the train. So much so I ended up walking them to Hogsmeade and letting the rest of our group go on the train. No mean feat in 40 degree heat with two moaning children but I digress!

We encourage our children to use their imagination, to see the beautiful around them and never to think they can’t do things. Use your imagination and anything is possible, so why then as adults have we forgotten this? Of course we have the boring things to contend with, bills, work, cars, childcare, cleaning (yuck) but everyone of the adults yesterday allowed themselves to rise above that and just let their imagination run wild just like they did as kids.

Now I’m not saying we should all throw our responsibilities into the wind and become fairy princesses but how much lower would our blood pressures be if we for an hour or so each week allowed ourselves to see the magic all around us? 

Have a try and let me know what you think. You may just surprise yourself! Xx