Impossible Things

"I asked you to believe in impossible things, and you never once looked at me like I was crazy." ~the OA

In an attempt to retrace our steps, I was startled to see a fork in the road. Do you remember passing a fork in the road? I asked Yolande who stood several meters behind me. The poorly maintained dirt road shot off in 2 paths, a scattering of coconut husks lay at our feet, the jungle of palms thick in every direction.

I glanced over my shoulder. Everything looks the same, she said, voice full of pain. Her knee was giving out, and I'd thoroughly gotten us lost. Somewhere on the quick 15 minute hike between Haad Yuan and Haad Tien, we'd somehow wandered off into the jungle.

Just past noon, hot and humid, lost in the jungle on a Southeast Asian island. Perhaps I should have forewarned my friend that following me to a remote part of the island with intent to hike across the tri-bay could lead to unexpected strangeness. Perhaps I should have some sort of business card made explaining that being within 3 feet of me could cause a rip in space-time.

I pace my bungalow and read my manuscript aloud until I lose my voice. Sinking into the world of imagination until all lines are blurred. I convince myself I should probably get out more. Beach walks. Yoga class. Write night. Weeks go by.

Teresa and I grasped the vines and pulled ourselves over the ridge. Flip flops and sundresses, scratched knees and dirt crusted hands. We must have looked like we crawled out of a portal from elsewhere, Alice in Wonderland style. An untouched and pristine scene--turquoise lagoon and gushing waterfall, smoothed rocks and cascading stream. The cool, clear water engulfed our ankles. From one reality into another.

I lie in my hammock and binge watch all my favorite Gigi Young videos. To imagine is to be a magician, she says. To use the power of imagination is a way to connect to higher realms. Connect and pull them to earth.

Where do my characters come from? Where do these stories exist? I close my eyes and travel there. I pull stories from other places and bring them here. Scene by scene, I wield magic, I create, I bring impossible things to life. It is an incredibly slow, and at times, tedious process--crawling back over the same terrain again and again in search of all the missing pieces, never knowing for sure if anyone will see the same story I do.

Will these books ever see the light of day outside of those I choose to share them with? Who knows. And honestly, it's best I don't think about it too hard. What matters is that I show up and do my part.

Faith that we took the correct path, Yolande and I did finally find our way to Haad Tien. We stopped by the Tea Temple at the Sanctuary to write and rest before heading on to Why Nam--a place you might not believe exists unless you've been there. We ran to the water and swam out to the raft floating in the center of the bay. I can't remember how long we were there or what we talked about, but lying on the raft surrounded by water with our faces to the sun, I imagined impossible things.

It comes up a lot in this blog--the idea of cultivating magic, bending reality, and believing in a world in which anything and everything is possible. It all starts with imagination and bringing the seemingly impossible into the world of possibility. What is your relationship with your imagination? How do you use it to bring magic into your life?

Well friends, after 2 months of immersing myself in imagination and writing, I'm off again for more adventures! Diving into familiar as well as completely new territory, I'm excited to find out what's in store for me over these next 3 months.