The thing about imagination is that you never know when it will kick in. But you can encourage yours by feeding it and giving yourself the time for creative thoughts. Idle pastimes and simple pleasures absorb you fully, so you can solve problems or come up with brilliant ideas in a way that would have you sucking your pencil if you tackled them head on. And midsummer is surely the time; a quiet moment appreciating your garden, picking berries, a walk through a meadow, cloud-watching. Be enchanted and feel the magic happen.

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