“Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple.” – Willy Wonka
I adore that quote and everything Roald Dahl.
For those of you who don’t know the name (tsk, tsk, tsk), he is the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which is in my top ten list of favorite books. (To be perfectly honest, please know my top ten list includes about 100+ books because I could never really narrow it down to 10. The same is true for my favorite movie list.) Maybe you haven’t read the book, which I would encourage you to do immediately, but you know either the 1971 or 2005 movie versions. Yes, I loved Wilder AND Depp. I am partial to all versions simply because Willy Wonka is one of my favorite fictional characters.
He’s an inventor. We are inventors. He likes snazzy hats. I like snazzy hats. We both like chocolate. He’s eccentric and quirky…well, you can see where I’m going with this and why I can identify with him.
This Wonka quote is what this post is all about: Nonsense and the encouragement thereof.
My family life and work life is overwhelmed right now with schedules. We have meetings to attend, practices to get to, deadlines to keep, and competitions to watch. There are snacks to pack, Gatorades to buy, presentations to compile, and engineering to finish. To make matters more complicated, I worry that I might lose the calendar on my phone or computer, so along with the chalkboard calendar in my kitchen that I update weekly, I also started keeping a hand written schedule. It now takes me five minutes to write down one engagement because there are so many places to put it and I STILL send my kid to soccer in the wrong color jersey. Ridiculous.
I can’t keep up and where is the fun in any of this, anyway?
So, I’m turning to the most unconventional, nonsensical thinker I know, Willy Wonka, to pull me out of my task-driven tunnel vision. He is the embodiment of whimsy, non linear thinking, and silliness. His type of modus operandi is exactly what I need right now for my family and my job. Willy did things that brought him joy. When he didn’t feel good, his candy wasn’t good. It’s an obvious metaphor for living.
I’ve decided that putting some joy and levity back in our over scheduled life IS the goal in our house. This is why we decided to let the kids swim at our friends’ house at 10pm on a school night. It made them happy and it wasn’t on the calendar. This is why Ryan and I decided to start packing a lunch and have weekly picnics at the park. It makes us happy and it isn’t a “scheduled” meeting. It’s why I’m declaring tonight “Willy Wonka Night” and we are having our dessert first at dinner. Dessert, well, makes everyone happy. No, it’s not making our schedule easier or less complicated, but it is encouraging more happiness and helping us all to look beyond our calendars and accomplishment driven days.
So, could thinking like Willy Wonka change things for you too?
“There’s no earthly way of knowing/Which direction they are going…..And they’re certainly not showing/Any sign that they are slowing!” -Willy Wonka