You know, there are many things that we value. Our, home, our vehicles, our bank accounts, to name a few. Why do we put such a value on these things? Simple, it’s because we have worked so hard to get them. The things we value the most are the things we worked for.

“Darn right!” you might say, but guess what, that means we are neglecting some of the most important things that we didn‘t have to work for, one especially - the human mind.

Many people don’t think much on this great God-given wonder, simply because it was part of the package. It costs us nothing; it’s absolutely free.

When I was growing up, my mother always put a lot of emphasis on reading. She even paid my brother and I to read books one summer. The more pages we read, the more we got paid. This didn’t last very long though, because after my first Judy Blume book, I was hooked and I would have paid her to read more.

Once I asked my mother, “Why do we need to read? Isn’t it just better to watch the movie instead of reading the book?” I’ll never forget her reply, she said, “When we read, it makes us use our own imaginations. When you watch the movie, someone else has already done the work for you and your mind doesn’t grow as much.” She also told me that you could always tell a person who read from a person who didn’t when you had a conversation with them. Something she called a “Broader mind.”

I do two fun things with my children each week to “Broaden“ their minds. We have a game we call telling a “Campfire Story.” When we’re in the car, we all start out by telling a part of a story and then just stopping and asking the other person to tell the next part. It’s amazing of how each story takes a turn and finally ends. Also a great way to bond with each other and have a good time.

My six-year-old daughter has a hard time falling asleep at nights sometimes and I’ve found a way to help her use her imagination to get to sleep. First I tell her to close her eyes and picture a black piece of construction paper (this is a good way for her to clear her mind). Then I tell her about all the different places I know about, like the a land with ice cream mountains, strawberry soda seas, etc. Just things I know she loves. Then I tell about all the different characters who live there and how they have picnic’s, bbq’s, dances, etc. Soon, her imagination has kicked in gear and she tells me what she’s seeing there as well. After a little while, I tell her I’m going to leave the room and let her finish her adventure in her imagination… Sometimes, I listen outside the door and can hear her just talking away to herself about the different things that she imagines. Soon, she is quickly asleep.

Also, have you ever noticed that when someone asks us a question or presents a problem to us, our mind automatically goes to work to solve the problem? It was designed to take on any task and answer any riddle. Out of all the things we have in this world, we should always put a great value on our human mind. What a wonderful instrument that has been given to us at no price at all… Cherish it, exercise it and most of all, Use it.

All for now friends,

Kip

“The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.” WINSTON CHURCHILL, speech at Harvard University, Sept. 6, 1943