When I first thought about writing books for children, I thought back on a childhood experience that made an impact. This was before I even had kids so I could only grasp at my own child-like memories. The first thought was this beautiful old sycamore tree on the playground where I grew up. We were the Uintah Unicorns and I was proud to wear our school mascot on my shirt.
In the very far back corner of the playground, sat the old sycamore with plenty of shade and plenty of itchy bombs (as we called them) during the warm weather.
My friends and I would setup here to talk and play. I remember playing spaceship there because the roots had buckled the asphalt and tar cracks like seats and the bark (or gum) had worn buttons into the trunk. We pretended to fly other places in our Spaceship Tree and find other friends from far off lands.
I think it’s normal for kids to feel out of place at times yet everyone still wants to belong. This is where I think imagination runs wild. We can create places and people that fit into our ideal. That is where we took our Spaceship Tree and planned adventures with real friends as well as make-believe ones.
This beautiful tree played such a big role in my everyday and the memory has stuck with me. I loved the idea of something simple like a tree that was always there and we could depend on it. We didn’t have to setup anything to play. When the recess bell rang, we could just run to our spot and start playing immediately. Imagination is a curious thing… you never know what will spark it!
What inspires you? Have you ever seen a tree shaped like a spaceship or that reminded you of something else? I’d love to hear from you. Comment with your childhood memories below… especially if they included itchy bombs like mine!