Souped-up imagination locations
Howdy friends,
I’m reading a vivid and engrossing book with the boys called My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich. The main character and narrator, Ebony-Grace, is sent to live with her father in Harlem in the early 80’s from Huntsville, Alabama, where she’s grown up with her mother and grandfather, one of the first black engineers at NASA.
Ebony is 12, reveres her grandfather, and wants to be an astronaut. As she makes the transition from the country to the city, from living with her overprotective mama to her not-always-around dad, she often retreats into what she calls her “imagination location” - a place where she is an astronaut/space captain/rocket-builder etc. It’s a magical and protective shield from all the unknowns in her new, unfamiliar world.
Ebony-Grace’s imagination location also delivers some of the book’s central tension - can she live in her head and still relate to the kids on the block, or does she have to lock up her imagination so she can fit in socially?
I hope Ebony-Grace makes the transition from childhood with her imagination intact AND some new friends in place. Hopefully we’ll find out when we finish the book on our train ride to NYC this afternoon!
A rich imagination helps us stay open to possibility, right? I keep thinking about the different ways grownups keep our imaginations intact. In my case, it’s like my energy: the older I get, the more I need to pay attention to my imagination, cultivate it, care for it, give it the time and space to flourish.
I admire my kids, 7 and 9, whose imaginations flow in a way that doesn’t feel as accessible as an adult. Watching them, I know I need to purposefully create the conditions that allow my own imagination grow and ramble. The answer is often: go fallow, do less. Let myself be idle. Take a long walk, no headphones.
CARE FOR: In this section, I highlight stuff that gets me thinking about the forms and functions of care and how we express it. Have something you want to share? Tell me!
OUR SELVES: Forever inspired by her art-making genius and “boundless enthusiasm” for life. Also love this reminder of how well minimalism works for physical fitness.
EACH OTHER: I’m turning into a super-fan of the Zig Zag podcast and I loved this episode about the importance of what one sociologist calls social infrastructure - the parks, boardwalks, libraries, playgrounds, and other public spaces that draw communities together IRL.
THE PLANET: When vulnerable populations play a central role in climate resiliency plans; when they push back at forces that threaten their way of life; when they file suit for their future.
WE ALL GOTTA EAT: It’s true. Here’s one thing I’m cooking these days:
Ummm, broccoli that I steam and then chop into small pieces for a salad with tuna, capers, pickled peppers, and a generous pile of shaved parmesan. A big pan of roasted beets that get peeled and tossed with butter, chives, chopped almonds, and a splash of white balsamic. Homemade pizza with storebought dough. It’s all pretty quotidian around here these days, guys.
Actually, I’d love to hear from you! Send me your favorite weeknight dinner for me to highlight in this space. Bonus points for vegetarian meals. :)
Have a wonderful weekend, all. Thanks for reading.
XO
Leigh