Day: July 15, 2011

Last week I spent a lot of time with my two nieces, Lorelei and Aubree, who are 3 and 1 respectively. Lorelei has a new-found obsession with the original Mary Poppins movie. She watches it with such intensity, and then sings the songs and mimics all of the movements. Her laser beam focus, which she’s had since she was a baby, is something to behold. I always wonder exactly what she’s thinking as she observes so keenly.

We were out in front of her house last week, drawing chalk pictures on the drive way and playing with her fancy umbrella and tricycle.
She turned to me and said, “Nan (that’s her nickname for me), can you help me get up there?”

“Where, Lorelei?” I asked her

She pointed at the sky. “Up there. Way up there. Like Mary Poppins.”

“Honey, I don’t know how to fly like Mary Poppins.”

“How does she do that? I want to do that. It looks fun.”

“I’m sure it is fun,” I said and I thought about how great that would be to just grab an umbrella and get where I want to go. My commute to work would be so much better.

While we may view that movie as filled with lots of things that can’t happen – floating up to the ceiling by laughing, taking adventures through chalk drawings, and using carousel horses to race – Lorelei doesn’t see any of that as impossible. She’s at the age when she can dream anything into fruition. I hope she never loses that sense of wonder and belief in herself. I do hope she becomes a Mary Poppins in her own right.

It was such an awesome moment with her in front of her house. I’m sure I’ll remember it all my life and recount it to her when she’s older. My guess is that there will always be a part of Lorelei who believes that anything is possible. And she helps me to keep that perspective, too. She reminds me that our imaginations are amazing and magical playgrounds. No wonder it’s my favorite place to go.

“Someday,” Lorelei said, “I’m going to fly like Mary Poppins.” And I’m sure she will.