imagination station Archives - Tony Funderburk

A social media friend of mine shared a link to a video of John Wayne throwing a kid into deep creek. Actually it was John Wayne playing the title character from the movie, Hondo. And the movie was based on the book, by the same name, written by Louis L’Amour. His books were partly the products of imagination and largely a part of Mister L’amour’s exceptional ability to visualize terrain. I didn’t know that before today.

But his books are fictional accounts of the old west. In fact, if you bring up the subject of old west fiction, anyone who’s lived more than two or three decades will almost immediately think of Louis L’Amour.

My friend’s reference nudged me to do a little research on Louis’ visualization skills. I discovered this:

~ His knack for describing landscapes wasn’t just a product of imagination. It was deeply rooted in his real-life experiences and meticulous research. L’Amour traveled extensively across the American West, working jobs like cowboy, miner, and lumberjack, which gave him firsthand knowledge of the rugged landscapes he later depicted. He walked the trails, climbed the mountains, and crossed the deserts he wrote about. And he absorbed the details that brought his settings to life. ~

And I saw a snippet that mentioned Hondo specifically. It said:

~ For instance, in novels like Hondo, the terrain isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a character. And it helps shape the plot and the people in it as much character descriptions and dialogue. ~

Apparently Louis L’Amour could paint a mental picture of a canyon’s twists or a river’s flow so clearly that readers felt they could navigate it themselves. And that was a result of his habit of studying maps, hanging out in locations, talking to old-timers, and even sketching landscapes to lock them into memory.

He said he’d “mentally walk through it.” And that’s how he could visualize the sun’s angle, the scrub brush’s texture, or how a horse’s hooves would kick up dust on a dry ridge.

But there’s nothing mystical about his talent. He honed his skills by actually living in those kinds of places. And he had a genuine, lifelong curiosity about the land’s history and geology. Plus he photographed locations and studied the pictures to double-check his mental images of them. And he researched historical records to be sure his stories were accurate and authentic.

I guess his imagination and ability to visualize stories was pretty good. Because he wrote over a 120 books. Not to mention (but I will) all his short stories and other writings. And plenty of those were turned into big screen, and even made-for-TV, movies.

Sure, that’s all impressive. But I always “see” something else at work when I read or hear about “special skills.” And I know they aren’t just a “product of imagination” or “ability to visualize.” Those talents are gifts from God. And no matter how amazing they might seem, they’re just a shadow of what God wants for us.

Paul put it this way: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”

I fly…till tangled thoughts untie,

And one day, sooner than you might imagine, the Lord of creation is gonna give everyone who loves Him that perfect point of view. I, to that, I say “Hi yo, Hondo! Let’s go!”

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Hypnopompic hallucinations. No, there are no drugs involved. You might have experienced them, even if you’ve never heard of ’em. Because they can occur in that transitional time between sleep and fully waking up. And they don’t have to include scenes of terror. After all, it’s not like everything in life mimics Stephen King books.

And I have a theory about that.

“Honey! Break out the popcorn and Pepsi! Tony’s got a theory!”

Radio waves are all around us. Twenty-four hours a day. Seven days a week. And they don’t stop just because it’s time for bed. So, I believe the human brain can detect, and possibly even recognize and remember, some of those waves. Especially the ones that contain words and music. Yeah. Songs.

Have you ever awaken with a song stuck in your head? It’s happened to me. Many times. Well, my theory is that your brain picks a song out of those radio waves while you sleep. Then, as you start to wake up, your brain holds on to the song. And since you’re still in that transitional time, somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, it doesn’t seem real.

And I guess scientists decided to call that hypnopompic hallucinations. What a bunch of hypnopompic aces.

OK, all seriousness aside.

As I woke up this morning, I had the transitional experience again. I shared a rhyme about this, a while back, and here’s what I said…

The sleep is still there in my brain

Crescendo, andante, surreal

I know they are there just for me,

© 2020 Tony Funderburk

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Yesterday I wrote about a nostalgic memory. And I talked about June bugs. If you didn’t catch that post, check it out. But now I want you to think back in your own life. And go as far back in your past as you can. Because I want you to see yourself as small as possible.

OK, are you there yet? Way, way back to when everything was left up to “the grownups.” Can you see it? Great.  Now”pick up where you left off. And this time, get it right. and pass this on to as many of your friends and family as possible. Because if we can get enough of us to go back, start over, and do it right, we can change the world.

Now, as far as I can tell, there’s only one possible flaw in my theory. Keep in mind, I haven’t worked this out on even a singular level. But work with me here. Because I’m not talking about leaving your adult brain here.

I know…in fact, I’m willing to bet…most of you have seen enough Marvel movies to understand the validity of my theory. Sure, there will be time travel naysayers. But they’re just cosmic killjoys who wouldn’t know an excited molecule if it was in their own brain.

So, you and I are gonna have to carry the weight of this adventure on our own brain power.

Because, I don’t know about you, but I’m particularly fed up with virtue signalers and cancel culture creeps. And zapping back to when they didn’t exist sounds mighty inviting.

Matter of fact, I think if we just zap…uh-oh.

I think I dozed off there for a couple of minutes. And my fingers kept typing. Must’ve been typing out something deep in my subconscious. Oh great. Now, I gotta go back and edit this before I post it.

Well, sorry about that everybody. Here’s a few rhyming lines you can read amongst yourselves while I edit. (Oh brother, I gotta get more sleep tonight.)

Is there a day you go back to when you think of better times?

Well, let me say, I’m for living with that hope inside your heart.

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If you’re a fan of (or when you were a kid you were a fan of) superhero comic books, you’re familiar with the ubiquitous dialogue bubble. And it’s also known as a speech bubble, speech balloon, dialogue balloon, and even a conversation cloud. And maybe you’re already saying, “Seriously, Tony? You’re gonna babble on about a bubble?”

Well, I don’t think I would’ve put it that way (although technically I did, because it was me who wrote that), but yes. I’m gonna give you another one of those closer looks into the inner workings of my contemplating mind.  

In those comic books you could see one kind of bubble for a character you see. And you could see another kind of bubble for a character who’s speaking but not visible in that frame (aka panel). Then, there are the thought bubbles with little circles leading up to the larger circle. And bubbles with a jagged outline usually represent screaming.

Some comic strips and comic books use whisper bubbles. And they draw those with a dotted outline instead of solid. Apparently that conveys the softer sound of a whisper.

And you might find colored bubbles, slimy looking monster bubbles, and even icicle bubbles.

But it all makes sense when you pause and think about it. After all, language is complicated. And it’s full of expression, emotion, and nuance. So, it’s only natural comic book and comic strip artists and writers would want to get as much of that across as possible. Right?

But before I go any further on this subject, I’ll tell you right now. None of that is the reason I thought of writing all this down. Nope. My reason is actually more comedically sinister.

Because, as I’ve been watching snippets of debates, online, I started thinking about what it would look like if the debaters and moderators had dialogue bubbles over their heads. And I could imagine how it would all start out clearly enough. You know, just like in a comic strip frame. Just one or two bubbles.

But then, the egos and political agendas would rear their ugly heads. And suddenly the screen would be literally filled with bubbles of just about every style and name. Especially the jagged ones. And the red, angry ones. And the intermittent icicle bubbles when someone’s blood runs cold.

It would make the old Batman TV show fight scene bubbles (Pow! Zap! Boff! Splatt!) look like a Rocky Mountain sky. (In case you don’t know, a Rocky Mountain sky is often cloudless…or almost cloudless)

Because, for some of those debates and so-called “discussions” there just wouldn’t be enough screen room…or time. But it would be fun to watch if a crack team of animators (hello Pixar) put something like that together. Now, that would be must-see TV.

Let me share a little message in a conversation cloud.

Stay tuned,

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