imagination

I love the wonder of imagination.  How it can turn every ordinary into an amazing adventure.  Since we have had such a wonderful non-winter Winter my kids have been spending a lot of time outdoors playing like real kids.  (I always say play like a real kid, meaning like when I was little and played games outside, play like the time before electronics started to take over.)  In doing so their imaginations have come alive and I love it.  However I guess I forgot how real a child's imagination can be, for instance.  William, Brennen, and the neighbor boys were riding their wheels on the driveway.  They started playing a variation of demolition derby when William told Brennen he didn't have enough  "money" to buy rocket boosters for his scooter.  Brennen was devastated,  he came crying to me and I told him to just tell William he had enough "money"  Apparently that didn't go well.  He came back crying again.  After three times of Brennen coming to me crying and the frustration growing I reached into my "wallet"  and handed him enough "money" to buy the rocket boosters.  He held out his hand and gladly accepted the "money" so William could not refute him.
Just yesterday ALL the boys were playing on the trampoline in a robot wrestling match. (They were the robots) They said there was a ring of fire around the trampoline.  This time it was Peter that came crying to me, he couldn't get on the tramp because of the "fire".  He was terrified.  I got everyones attention and told them to turn off the fire so Peter could get on.  Which they did until the next match, then here came Peter again afraid of the "fire"  We walked hand in hand over to the tramp when he pulled me back because the "fire" was hot and he didn't want me to get burned.
Now, that Peter has his rocket boosters he "flies" all around the house and yard.  The look on his face shows me how real it all is to him.
I find myself marveling about the wonderful world of a child's imagination.  I worry that the more electronics they are exposed to, the more they will loose that gift of imagination.  I realize now it is my job to help nurture that gift and provide opportunities for them to use it.