Imagination explorations

A rare word in English, trouvaille, means a lucky find or an unexpected windfall.  In French, trouvaille refers to the same thing and more. It refers to an interesting or exceptional discovery. This involves a moment of fun or enlightenment generated through efforts of the imagination.

Let your imagination explore.

Leap into an enlightenment.

Discover a scent of mystery.

Listen for the wind's messages.

Breathe into curiosities.

Believe in laughter.

Color past obstacles.




Play with abandon.

Menagerie Stories

The earliest artists used animals as their subjects.  Images of beasts dominate cave walls of Lascaux and Altamira.  They tell stories of the prehistoric world.

Teaching stories and fables arrived later. Through the actions of animals, they showed children how to behave and the consequences of bad choices. Native American stories of coyote and raven abound.

Which menagerie could you create to tell a story of collaboration?

Consider two animals.

An elephant waded into the pond at a Wild Animal Park. With the sound of a trumpet, it tossed water from its trunk onto its back. Ripples from its skin sent droplets over its frame. A bluebird happened by and noticed this refreshment in the heat of the day.

“Hello,” the bird sang as it flew above the trunk.”How do you do that?”

“Ah, it's easy, “ the elephant responded. “ Would you like a spray?”

“Yes, I have flown for days from the north and would like a drink and bath.”  The bird flapped in motion just above the gray trunk. Soon the water sparkled from its feathers.

“You’re fortunate also to have wings,” smiled the elephant.

“I’ve always admired birds in the sky and how they can travel.

“It looks like we have ways to share our experiences,” said the bird, drying one feather at a time with its beak.

“So many animals here have talents to learn about,” said the elephant.

“Aren’t you frightened by the fierce ones?”

“Each has his or her own specialty,” the elephant moved deeper into the water. “Ah, this feels good.”

A Write Ramble on Wildlife Day

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” - John Muir

Henry David Thoreau's 1862 essay, "Walking," promotes his philosophy, "all good things are wild and free." He remarks about the connections of human beings and nature and criticizes individuals for their lack of a relationship with nature. During Thoreau's experiences of walking into the forest near his home, he compares nature's divinity and the spirit of walking with Christianity and mythology. 

Thoreau urges readers to marvel at the mythological wonders of sunset.

Charles Baudelaire
writes about the perfect stroller (the flâneur) in character, Monsieur Constantin Guys. 

In his essay, "The Painter of Modern Life" (1863),
he reveals Guys as a gentleman motivated by curiosity, joy 
and delight 
in new experiences. Guys observes the crowd in urban spaces as a "passionate spectator."

He saunters and inspiration leads him to become an artist, a man of the world and, "spiritual citizen of the universe."

“The external world is reborn upon his paper,” Baudelaire writes, “natural and more than natural . . . strange and endowed with an impulsive life like the soul of its creator.”

Celebrate Wildlife Day! Ramble, wander and wonder. Make notes about what crosses your path. Focus on interactions and individuals you meet in urban and natural settings. Become a "passionate spectator."