What Harold and a Purple Crayon Taught Me About Imagination (and My Dad)
This Father’s Day, I stumbled across one of my favourite childhood books: Harold and the Purple Crayon.
As a kid, I loved pretending this was a story about my dad, Harold, when he was a boy.
In the book, young Harold is alone, with nothing but a purple crayon. He uses his imagination to draw his way through an adventure, escaping perils, building paths, creating possibilities, until he finds his way back home to his bed.
Some of my earliest memories involve both of my parents reading to me, and later, with me. But my dad didn’t really read children’s books with me, we read Reader’s Digest. Then we’d talk about what we read. Reflect on it. Try to connect it to the world around us.
Looking back now, I see what a gift that was. It’s one of those quiet things a parent does that ends up shaping your entire life.
That time gave me my love of reading, but also my habit of reflecting, asking questions, and always trying to understand people and the world.
It gave me imagination and critical thinking.
Oh, and I’ve only written with a purple pen for the last 20 years. I teach a course on imagination. I use mine every single day.
Coincidence? Maybe not.
It’s funny how the stories we hear, the people who guide us, and the tools we’re given, whether it’s a book or a crayon, can shape who we become.
In our imagination workshops, we try to bring that same magic back.
That sense of nostalgia, creativity, and open-mindedness that many of us once had as kids.
Because sometimes, the best way to move forward is to tap into what shaped us from the start.
It was a great Father’s Day. I’m a very lucky daughter. 💜
Theresa Bailey is a bestselling author and the exclusive North American provider of Play Doh Power Solutions Corporate Training.
