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Life Is More Than Work, Paying Bills, And Endless Obligations
20
Anyone who spends time around young children knows that they pretend and play a lot. Often, their distinction between fantasy and reality is a pleasant blur.
As we grow older, that distinction sharpens, and this is fine, because a world of adults living in a pretend state would not function very well. (It’s bad enough watching people walk, talk, and comport themselves as if they were characters in a movie.)
But as we live in our world of responsible adulthood, it’s wise to remember that life is not just holding down a job, paying the bills, and nodding sagely during conversations about politics and current events. A full, rich life remembers the magic of childhood pretending, and we allow ourselves to break from the cold confines of “scientific” thought, in which the only reality is that which we can see, touch, and classify.
I painted Tea for Two to celebrate the child’s fascination with the world, and their willingness to believe in what adults assure them is impossible. Sometimes, we need to step away from what we find to be logical and ask ourselves, “What if this could be? What if this were true?”
More info: 2-steve-henderson.pixels.com
Tea for Two by Steve Henderson
Anyone who spends time around young children knows that they pretend and play a lot. Often, their distinction between fantasy and reality is a pleasant blur.
As we grow older, that distinction sharpens, and this is fine, because a world of adults living in a pretend state would not function very well. (It’s bad enough watching people walk, talk, and comport themselves as if they were characters in a movie.)
But as we live in our world of responsible adulthood, it’s wise to remember that life is not just holding down a job, paying the bills, and nodding sagely during conversations about politics and current events. A full, rich life remembers the magic of childhood pretending, and we allow ourselves to break from the cold confines of “scientific” thought, in which the only reality is that which we can see, touch, and classify.
I painted Tea for Two to celebrate the child’s fascination with the world, and their willingness to believe in what adults assure them is impossible. Sometimes, we need to step away from what we find to be logical and ask ourselves, “What if this could be? What if this were true?”
More info: 2-steve-henderson.pixels.com
Tea for Two by Steve Henderson
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What do you think ?
Moira Risen 5 years ago
:-)))) My niece turned 11 this week and still reluctant to believe Santa, dragons, elves and dwarves don't exist....
Steve Henderson (Post author) 5 years ago
I think 11, 12, 13 -- those are the hardest times, because one is still a child, really, but society places so much pressure on you to be cynical, jaded, and savvy -- as if those were good things we should reach for. It's as we get older that we realize the wisdom of children, and seek what they have to teach.
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Dorothy Berry-Lound 5 years ago
This is a lovely scene and a wonderful sentiment. I sort of have this thing of finding 'play time' each day.
Steve Henderson (Post author) 5 years ago
That is a good thing to have, Dorothy. What amazes me about our thoughts is that we are so free to have them -- to imagine, to wonder, to even pretend -- because nobody sees those thoughts but us. So why are so many people afraid to just let logic go for a minute and imagine something better?
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Moira Risen 5 years ago
:-)))) My niece turned 11 this week and still reluctant to believe Santa, dragons, elves and dwarves don't exist....
Steve Henderson (Post author) 5 years ago
I think 11, 12, 13 -- those are the hardest times, because one is still a child, really, but society places so much pressure on you to be cynical, jaded, and savvy -- as if those were good things we should reach for. It's as we get older that we realize the wisdom of children, and seek what they have to teach.
Load More Replies... Dorothy Berry-Lound 5 years ago
This is a lovely scene and a wonderful sentiment. I sort of have this thing of finding 'play time' each day.
Steve Henderson (Post author) 5 years ago
That is a good thing to have, Dorothy. What amazes me about our thoughts is that we are so free to have them -- to imagine, to wonder, to even pretend -- because nobody sees those thoughts but us. So why are so many people afraid to just let logic go for a minute and imagine something better?
Load More Replies... 
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