Nostalgia and the Imagination

When I was a kid, I loved going to Grandma and Grandpa's house. They were the epitome of perfect grandparents. My Grandma always scratched and rubbed my back before bed, and Grandpa and I used to walk down to the park and play on the playground. Then we'd always sneak to the 7-11 for ice cream before dinner. Try as she might, Mom could never stay mad at Grandpa for spoiling us so. My grandparents had a limited number of toys, though they were well built and had seen many a years of kids hands. My favorite toy of all was a little painted wood dog that you pulled behind you, and his little rubber feet would flop around and around on wheels making a slapping sounds against the concrete while his little spring tail with a red wood knob on the end bounced merrily. I played with that dog everytime I went to see Grandma and Grandpa, walking back and forth underneath thier porch pretending he was my very own dog and we were out for a stroll.

Memories like this are precious, like gold. Whenever life gets too much, I look back on those fond memories and remember what it was like not to have to worry about bills or getting gas in the car, or whose turn it was to vaccuum. When I saw this adorable little Turtle Push Toy by berkshirebowls, I was immediately taken back to my childhood days at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and I thought to myself, "I want my children and grandchildren to have memories like that."




Though seemingly simple and archaic, this toy offers something that modern technology and the digital age cannot: imagination. Growing up, that's what we lived on. Our bicycles were horses, our Barbies real people that WE made the voices to, and our stuff animals and our inanimate creatures went on great adventures! And, most importantly to me, Scruffy was my puppy and we would go on great walks through the mountains and to the park. He made me happy. The seemingly lifeless creature was full of life, and was loved.

Many people sneer at these simple toys, calling them barbaric and claiming they won't teach their child or grandchild anything. But those of us who had "simple" toys know better. We know that a "simple" toy can supply days, weeks, years of entertainment and fun. The greatest thing these toy teach us is the power of the imagination. For without imagination, life loses it's magical quality and becomes too analytical, too robotic.

So open your mind, and as the door creaks open, reminding you of all the possibilities your mind could unravel in an instant, think of how inspiring that could be to a child.

"Perhaps imagination is only intelligence having fun." ~George Scialabba