Imaginary Friends

Do you remember the time when you were a little child? Unstoppable, always a smile from one eye to the other and you were never alone because you had these invisible friends. But now, you think, these days are long gone. These friends are gone. But are they? Or did we just learn that we need to send them away, the day we begin to call ourselves a grown-up? You might think now that I should see a doctor, or better, a psychologist. But dear reader, please let me introduce my friends and maybe, then, you would like them to stop at your house of mind once in a while. Let them tell you who they are. Maybe you would want them just to be there…

A young woman pops up in front of the reader. Her pale skin makes her almost invisible. Everything about her is white and innocent, her long straight hair, her thin silk dress. But her eyes and voice are clear and soft:

“I am the Love. I seem fragile, but I can be the strongest of your feelings. When humans search for me, they cannot find me. I can only be found by humans who already know I am standing right in front of them. I can be tender, but I can be painful, too. I can be like a cut from paper. The wound is barely to see but the pain is as awful as the dying pain. I can be sweet as a gummy bear or salty as tears.”

A cool boy shuffles through the streets and stops before your eyes. His sneakers are edgy, his jeans show some holes. His thin metallic sunglasses hide strong, briskly eyes and he pulls the baseball cap a little further over his forehead, holding the ghetto blaster up on his shoulder with the other hand:

“I am the Intrepidity[1]. I am a cool friend, I am free. And if you like me, your life can be without many sorrows. I can be a bit…special…but once you get involved with who I am, I can make your life easier. I will sharpen your senses, so you will learn to listen to your instincts again. All I need you to do, is breathe deeply and sing anything. Singing makes me grow.”

“And you will need me to balance him.”, says another man, fiddling with the cufflinks of his suit. He looks exactly like the boy, but much older. He smiles politely as he continues: “I am the Good Sense[2]. I watch out for trouble. I will make you be reasonable and learn from mistakes you must make. Some serious mistakes, I might be able to prevent. I can be the figurative clip around the ears that little children get when they don’t behave well, but most of the time, I am the calm, wise man with nice pieces of advice and lots of life experience. I am the one, placing a guiding hand on your shoulder. Only at crossroads, it might be cleverer to start singing than listening to me.”

And then something extraordinary happened. A reader’s twin appears:

“I am the Sincerity[3]. I have no own shape, but I am not invisible. I always appear in your shape. You don’t need to fear me. I know it feels a bit odd at first, but I am the one who only needs a hug from time to time to make you remember what really matters in your lifetime.”

[1] Unerschrockenheit

[2] Vernunft

[3] Aufrichtigkeit/Echtheit