Lame title, I know. But makes sense.

Since I couldn’t join Abe and the others for a weekend on the beach (I had the makings of a bad cold the night before, and I just can’t get sick with all the work I needed to do), Marc and I saw the Bridge to Terabithia last Saturday with my sister and his sister. We actually thought it would be some kind of a Narnia-turned-Lord-of-the-Rings kind of movie, but no. It was just a story about two kids with overactive imaginations.

These kids created a magical world of their own, where they also named themselves the king and the queen. But to go there, they must “cross the bridge” by swinging over a creek and make their minds “go wide open.” It’s a pretty sad story, but for some reason, their overactive imagination reminded me of my own.

I can’t say that they reminded me of me when I was a kid. Because as much as I don’t want to admit it—I still do let my imagination run wild. Besides, if I don’t, I probably won’t be writing entries on this blog, nor would I be earning from web/blog design.

So, back to my question. What I meant by “crossing” is being able to go into that “magical” world where anything is possible—the world of creative imagination.

I usually cross that bridge whenever I do traditional graphic art—I lose myself for hours at a time in this magical world where the trees can be blue and the grass tangerine. In web design, I sometimes do, but I always needed to keep a toe out of Terabithia—commissioned jobs have specific purposes, so I really can’t let my imagination run wild with those else I’d lose focus.

Same with blogging. In order to uphold responsible writing, I can’t just let my imagination run amok while I type.

I remember a conversation I had with one of my staff members in college, where I was an editor for our school paper. We were talking about “crossing into that make-believe world” while doing our art. We both agreed that it’s a wonderful place to be, helping us relax from the pressures of school work and our responsibilities in the paper. After about half an hour of reliving our “Terabithia” experiences, we were joined by somebody who can’t seem to understand what we’re talking about.

You see, not everyone is able to cross the bridge to Terabithia. There are people who are just too much into “reality” and making money that they forget to let loose at least once in a while. They forget what it’s like to be a kid, who believes that anything is possible.

So, can you cross the bridge to Terabithia?

It’s not that difficult, you know. You just need to keep an open mind 🙂