Let's Pretend

There’s an interesting concept known as “Fake it ‘til you make it”--the idea that, even if you haven’t quite internalized new behaviors yet, pretend like you have. There really is a bit of magic to acting “as if.” I know that sounds optimistic (which I rarely do), but hear me out. When I was recently stressing out over an impending court appearance, a dear friend of mine, knowing my theater background, suggested I employ my acting skills and play the role of someone calm and collected. And it really helped. Sure, I broke character a time or two, but it certainly went better than it would have otherwise and made me feel I could handle the situation. That confidence is the secret that is pretending. My brother, John, got into paper engineering (think pop-up books) years ago and was using an Exacto knife for his creations. Tiring of that, he went to a local publisher’s office to ask about their methods. Little did he know he had wandered into the world’s premier pop-up book company and would ask his question as the head of the company happened to be walking past. When the boss inquired about my brother’s experience and body of work, he lied…er…“pretended” that he had a portfolio “at home.” He then frantically worked the next 48 hours to create said portfolio. And got a job. In Disney’s Mickey Mouse, Brave Little Tailor, our favorite rodent pretends he can slay dragons and wins the fair princess. As if.

http://www.paperbackswap.com/Walt-Disneys-Story-Walt-Disney/book/208300/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney

http://www.amazon.com/If-I-were-Polar-Bear/dp/1581170467

Voices From The Past

I am fascinated by the science of retrieving sound waves from wherever they go after they hit the air and dissipate. Since waves don’t end but keep spreading out, any sound ever made is technically still out there waiting to be rounded up and heard again. That’s incredible. It means, among other things, that if we could refine the science enough, we could literally hear epic moments like the Gettysburg Address or re-experience sweet, personal exchanges like a baby cooing. How eerie yet thrilling would it be to stand in a field in Pennsylvania and hear Abraham Lincoln’s actual voice brought back to life by modern technology corralling scattered sound waves? But, in some ways, I don’t think we need to wait for those advances. Have you ever been somewhere and heard the echoes of the past? Not specific words, maybe, but whispers of sound that seem to linger. In Chattanooga, Tennessee, there is a massive natural stronghold of great tactical benefit during the Civil War. The army that controlled Lookout Mountain, with its towering height and expansive view, was in a position of virtually impenetrable superiority, and as such it was the scene of fierce fighting. At the base of the mountain, if you stand very still and listen very carefully, the wind still carries the sounds of long ago. It is haunted. In Walt Disney Production’s The Haunted House, Mickey and friends are hearing things. I wonder if it would help to know it’s just trapped sound waves.

P.S. Enjoy your book, Little Rhys!

http://www.amazon.com/HAUNTED-HOUSE-Disneys-Wonderful-Reading/dp/039492570X

http://www.earlymoments.com/Our-Products/Disney-Book-Club/