Confessions of an Imaginary Friend

This guest blog is contributed by Chuckie Imaginary. He was my imaginary friend from ages two through five. He was always accompanied by his dog Margo. Sometimes Margo was a person, (as my imagination had the power to transform the whole story/concept to fit the moment) ... but mostly she was a dog. I had not seen Chuckie and Margo for nearly four decades, but recently ran into them and asked him if he could contribute as a guest blogger to "The Some Assembly Required Blog". He believes in the power of creativity and imagination as an important tool that contributes to the success of all business professionals. You can follow him on Twitter (@ChuckieAndMargo). Chuckie is also available to speak at your next business event.

Confessions of an Imaginary Friend
By Chuckie Imaginary and his dog Margo.

It is a hard life being an imaginary friend.

When your real life friend is a little kid everyone thinks you are cute. They find your presence in the room to be funny. When it announced you are around, all the grown ups also pay attention to you. Some of the cooler grown ups will humor the situation by setting you a real place at the table. Some will even go as far as provide cookies and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. While you cannot actually eat the goodies, having your own meal, accompanied by a glass of chocolate milk makes your whole day special.

The more creative your real life friend is as a kid, the more adventures you get to experience. It is a lot of fun and your existence makes life just that much more better for everyone. You live in the imagination of a child, and thus your whole world is full of color, wonder, joy, hope, possibility, and make believe. Together you can do anything. You take each other to amazing levels of creativity and success.

Sometimes you do have to take the blame for bad things that happen. The juice gets spilled on the table cloth, you can rest assured that "Chuckie did it". Messy room? Chuckie's fault. Crystal vase gets knocked over by a flying Star Wars action figure? Fingers are pointed right at ol' Chuck. But it is all worth it, as being an imaginary friend you relish in the connection with your real life friend. Besides, I probably was responsible for most of those mishaps.

But then it happens. Your presence in the life of your real life friend begins to diminish. They start school and begin to acquire their own real life friends. Their parents and teachers no longer find their confiding in the "imaginary types" to be acceptable. They are encouraged to forget you. They try to hold onto you, but the peer pressures and efforts to fit in and not seem "weird" over power the joy they find in the imaginary world.

So you are alone. I was lucky, as I had a dog. Many imaginary friends are just abandoned into solitary confinement. You are always there with them, walking a few steps behind your real life friend, trying to help him or her navigate the path of life. At 16-years-old, when they back the car into a light post you so wish that you could take the blame when they have to tell their dad. When they forget to mail a credit card bill you desire to get on the phone with Visa and explain that it was Chuckie who had not sent the check. When they have a fight with their spouse you want to leap out and claim the responsibility. But alas, you cannot.

You spend forever wishing they could again embraced those childhood qualities. You see them facing difficulties and know that creativity and imagination could help them discover all sorts of unique and clever solutions to life's problems.

Some imaginary friends follow along and never see any hope for their real life friend. As these people grew up they closed their creativity and imagination into a sealed vault. These imaginary friends are the most sad, as they have no hope.

But for others there is hope. They witness flashes of brilliance that stream out from cracks in the facades that have been built around their persons. They know that deep down inside they have the desire and the ability to live in that state of color, wonder, joy, hope, possibility, and make believe that dominated their childhoods. These imaginary friends stay extra close. They whisper (or scream) suggestions to help guide their persons. On occasion they see the results of their influence and watch as their friends excel in their personal and professional lives by creating solutions that others did not see.

I am lucky. My real life friend has always had his quirky side. While he conformed to the norms of society, he never really got past being a dreamer and a seeker. It has helped him build his unique career and pushes him to write, speak, and create. He still has a long way to go, but there is no doubt that he is on his way to embracing the more silly and playful side of life.

If you are reading this and are wondering whatever happened to your own childhood imaginary friend, I am here to tell you that he or she is very close. They are part of your soul and have been there rooting for you all along. Just turn around and say hello to them. Welcome them back into your life.

You never know where they might take you.

Have A Great Day. And please follow me on Twitter (@ChuckieAndMargo)

Chuckie

I Don't Wanna Grow Up - Fighting Adultitis

The most recent podcast interview on "The Some Assembly Required Blog" is with Kim and Jason Kotecki. They are fighting the battle against "Adultitis" and working to educate the world on the horrors of "growing up".

The interview is full of information on how people can work to avoid being too serious and embrace their inner-child. Creativity and exploration are key to not being stuck in the cocoon of "old".

Jason is a cartoonist and Kim is a former kindergarten teacher. Their new book, "There's An Adult In My Soup" is available on Amazon.com. They live in Madison Wisconsin and are the parents of a very cute little girl, Lucy, who never will be forced to grow up!!!

CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast.

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Soon after I completed the interview with Kim and Jason I was walking down the street and ran into an old friend. I had not seen him since I was five-years-old, but there he was, walking his dog, Margo. I would have known them anywhere. It was, without a doubt, Chuckie.

Sure, he is older now than he was in 1971. He is now 43-year-old -- just like me. He even looks like me - but better. Chuckie is more fit. In fact, he is in great shape. His hair is not thinning as much. He still has a mischievous twinkle in his eye, as he was the one always getting me in trouble when we were kids.

You see, Chuckie was my imaginary friend from the time I was 2-years-old until I started kindergarten. He, and his dog Margo, went everywhere with me. When my aunt Catherine would babysit, I would demand that she make them each their own peanut butter & jelly sandwiches (That dog is at least 40 years old by now... who knew that PB&J would keep her so healthy for four decades!!!). He was always the one doing things like breaking a vase or eating all the Oreo Cookies. That silly Chuckie!

Anyway, I ran into him and it turns out you can follow him on Twitter (@ChuckieAndMargo). He also a professional speaker (like me), and he offered to be the guest blogger on "The Some Assembly Required Blog" tomorrow. So check back and see what he has to say about creativity and not forgetting how to have some fun -- even when you are all grown up.

Have A Great Day.

thom