Imagination ~ Don't Lose It!

It was Thanksgiving Day in Puerto Vallarta and standing next to the pool was none other than ~ wait for it ~ Spiderman! I’d seen him before, but seldom without his mask. I asked if he’d seen the ‘Hulk’ lately. And then asked, “What color is he again”? Not giving ‘Spidee’ a chance to respond, I said, “He’s blue right”? No, no wait a minute, “Yellow”! Spidee smiled, about to say the color when I said, “No, no I, I remember, “He’s red”! “Oh, I give up, I can’t remember”. “He’s GREEN”! Spidee said with a glee in both his voice and smile that made him too proud to have something on this grandpa-like man. “Yes, yes, yes, you’re right”, I said.

Then looking at Spidee, I told him a secret. That secret still adds a bit of pride to this old guy some nearly sixty years later. When I was about Spidee’s age now ~ Oh this Spidee with whom I had the privilege to meet on Thanksgiving Day was six years old. Anyway, I was only a couple years older than he right now when I sat in the original ‘Batmobile’. Oh yes I did! Spidee, of course, was more impressed than he had been in quite sometime. Of course, through his adventures, Batman, and especially the younger Robin, were some of Spidee's acquaintances. Wait ~ has that Marvel/DC crossover ever happened? Oh baby … you bet. Anything is possible with imagination :)

The day would become night and Spidee would occasionally venture over to my table and we’d converse about the colors of other superheros. So … “What color was Groot”, he said? Or, “Captain America”? Later I asked if he knew the color of Daffy Duck. Wait, he’s not a superhero. But even Spidee’s mom was not aware that Daffy was black :) As well we chatted about ‘Thor’. Both with puzzled faces, eyebrows crunched and lips pursed … we thought for a few moments. Then I said in a question, “Wait, his hammer. It’s silver, isn’t it”? “Yes, silver”! Spidee said, with still a bit of quizzical look. But surely, he must be silver!

These masked hero's can be found roaming Nicaragua

It was nearly bedtime for Spidee, you know slightly after 7pm. Now shhh you … Yes, almost past my bedtime as well :) Just before he walked away, I thought that I’d help him out if ever he found himself in this same predicament ~ that is, without his mask. I showed him the finger position, and then turned around, only to face him again with my finger mask in place. Oh, he was VERY, very impressed! And rightly should he be. I don’t pass this secret mask on to just anyone. But Spidee, well he has always been a special friend. And to get to meet him without his mask. That just made my day.

If you have yet to pick up on the moral of the story ~~ perhaps the best way for us sixty somethings to keep that six year old self alive ~~ Have imagination, and never … no never, lose it!

 

And ~~ if you need a visual/song to help with your imagination today ~~ might I suggest ~~