Mad and Bonkers

I've been thinking a lot about “Alice in Wonderland” lately; the movie with Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp. There are just so many things I adore about that movie. If you haven't seen it, you really should.

It's visually beautiful, the cast is darn near perfect, and it's just hugely entertaining. There is one particular line that I always think of. It's said by Alice's father to Alice, then again by Alice to the Mad Hatter: I'm afraid so... you're mad. Bonkers. Off your head... but I'll tell you a secret... all of the best people are.

Aren't we all a little mad and bonkers? I mean, in some way, we're all a little off, aren't we? Isn't the “spark of madness” (thank you Robin Williams) what makes us, well, us? We all look at an object with different eyes. Some people will look at a piece of paper literally, and see a piece of paper. Some people imagine it's a page from a book. Some people see it as a potential airplane. Other people might imagine the possibilities the paper could be. Isn't imagination just a touch of madness being unleashed, ever so slightly?

And what of it?

Well, I think the most creative people have the biggest spark inside. Those are the people who I love to be around; those are the ones who help me see things differently. Their spark will create fires, if you let it.

Have you ever been with someone who sees only possibilities in the mundane? It's a gift to be cherished. I'm referring to the artists who create sculptures from trash, who can take paper and make a flying swan, who take flour, water, and newspaper and make something entirely breathtaking. The vocalist who can make you cry because the music is so powerful, the actor who makes you forget he isn't speaking directly to you, but is in a movie. Anyone who can make you feel. The creative and talented people of the world are a special gift to us. It's up to us to recognize and appreciate them.

You've heard that everyone knows something you don't? It's true, I think. Just as I believe that everyone has the power to do something, everyone is good at something.

There are things I can just do, and I was an adult before I realized that not everyone can do them. I was just reminded of taking my own abilities for granted, as small as they are. I figured everyone could walk around a store, and imagine different uses for an object as opposed to only seeing its intended use. I honestly didn't know that not everyone can imagine things and visualize things that way. 

I think I'll go make some tea...