Sometimes people come into your life in unexpected ways. Last week I met a young girl while walking my dogs. Stephanie, who is in first grade, had just hopped off the school bus and decided to chat me up during her short walk home. In ½ of a block from the bus stop to her house, I learned her name, age, that she has two sisters in high school, and one is 17 and will be going away to college soon (and she doesn’t want her sister to leave). All of this information she openly and willingly shared with me, without me initiating any question besides asking her name. It’s like the flood gates opened after one question. What came next, though, really surprised me.

Stephanie said, “You know what? I want to be a teacher someday! A first-grade teacher—just like mine.” Then she asked me, “What do you do? As a speaker and an author, I thought it may be easier for her to understand if I just kept it simple and I replied, “I’m a writer.” She asked, “What do you write?” I said, “I write books. I’m currently writing my sixth one.” Stephanie then turned directly toward me, her face lit up with her eyes wide open as she excitedly exclaimed with animated arm gestures, “I have to say, your first book was your absolute BEST one! It’s AMAZING!”

I told her how appreciative I was of her kind comments as she said goodbye and stepped into her house. I chuckled all the way home, replaying in my mind what had just happened. Stephanie has never read any of my books; however, her imagination clearly led her to believe she had, and she definitely had a very strong opinion about the first one.

Imagination. It’s a powerful force. It enables us to envision possibilities beyond our current reality, helping to shape our future and overcome challenges. It also helps two specific skills: creativity and problem-solving.