Out of the Box

I was standing in line to check out at Office Depot and a kid in front of me was playing with something that was displayed on the counter. It was shaped a little like a cigar, had a face painted on it, had a fuzzy hairdo on the top, a clip on the side, and I don't know what else. I don't remember what it was even called. The kid asked his mom, "Can I have this?"

Mom started out with "No," then changed to "what is it?" He didn't know either - probably the subject of a future blogthought.

So I piped up with "It is used to clean the keyboard of your computer." Well, there was a thoughtful silence until they both seemed to accept that explanation. So I had to clarify and say "I don't really know. But it seems like it could be used for that."

In a little bit the mom said "I could use it to put in the soil of houseplants to make them more decorative." Kid thought a minute and said, "I think I could make people sneeze by rubbing it under their nose."

Suddenly possibilities opened up. If we knew what it was used for, we never would have explored. We don't think of using a pen for much more than writing. How many other "tools" with which to assult life do we have in our arsenals that we just don't think about because we have already decided what they are used for?

I remember my amazement once when I was young when my father took an empty milk carton, cut part of it off, and declared it a truck. It came in response to my complaint "I'm bored. I don't have anything to play with." Several other vehicles became apparent and I spent the afternoon in the sand making road, building parks, etc.

Creativity is an attitude, not a talent. Maybe we have tied up the attitude because we already "know" how to do things.