Rainbows and Unicorns

The power and magic of the imagination

“Everything you can imagine is real.” ― Pablo Picasso

Today I was gifted with a very special letter written by a little girl living in Southern California. Her letter (copied below) asked Los Angeles county animal control for permission to keep a unicorn in her backyard.

The response from Marcia Mayeda at animal control was at once respectful and endearing. She clearly understood Marcia’s letter was a unique opportunity to not only teach Madeline some basics about animal care but fuel her imagination as well.

This wonderful exchange means a lot to me. You see, I can remember believing that all horses have a unicorn living inside them, that dolphins are actually faeries who love to swim, that owls can hypnotize you with their eyes, and if you listen really really carefully to the wind as it blows through trees it will lead you to magic places on the Earth that only children can see.

This belief in imagination and the magic it ignites in all of us (even the oldest adults harbor tiny children within) is at the heart of Song Flight. It’s my hope that Song Flight will help children grow into kind and capable adults who write letters like the one Marcia sent to Madeline.

And, lest we forget what can happen when we allow the worries and burdens of adulthood to extinguish the magic of childhood, here is a cautionary tale sung by Peter, Paul & Mary in 1965 (click the image below).

P.S. What kind of magical beings and stories captured your imagination as a child? Please share.

Jena