I"ve started a new challenge for myself.  Every Wednesday I am going to take a quote I find and reflect on said quote.  Sometimes I might even challenge myself to take some action related to the quote.

"What the imagination seizes as beauty must be truth -- whether it existed before or not." -- Keats

Two questions came to mind when I read this:

When do I use my imagination?

The answer is pretty depressing... not much at all.  When we are children, our imaginations run on overtime.  I have twin 7-year-old boys and they are constantly making up stories or games.  They use their imaginations constantly.  And I hardly ever use mine.

But that's not really true...  I use my to go to sleep.  If I am not dead tired, it takes me a few minutes to fall asleep at night.  Usually in those few minutes I think of some story.  Sometimes it's me pretending to be a character in a movie or book.   I create a whole universe with scenery, costumes, actions, and dialogue.  The stories become my counting sheep.  Most nights, my storytelling puts me to sleep in about 10 minutes.

And then most of the day, I completely ignore my imagination.  I don't use it at all.  I go about my day reading other people's stories or dealing with the very mundane and practical.

I should write down these stories I tell myself.  I should explore my creative side with art and writing.  But it's so hard to get started.  I just don't seem to stick with it.

What is my definition of beauty?

According to Merriam Webster, beauty is "the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit."

Using this definition, I find many things full of beauty.  I am addicted to food, so much food.  I love that first bite of a dish.  The aroma and taste assault my senses in the best way possible.  Music always gets a response.  Usually good, music evokes strong emotions tying me to the song.  Artfully crafted clothing makes my jaw drop.  Today I found the craziest strapless blue plaid dress and fell completely in love with it.  I found myself creating an entire outfit in my head from the dress.  And then I found out the dress was $15!  How could I resist?  I couldn't.  I love photographs.  Seeing an interesting black and white photo (usually of a window or door, yeah I know weird) almost brings me to tears it is so amazing.

So my definition of beauty... anything that can evoke a strong emotion in me.