Downsize me!

The official trailer for Downsizing, a new movie from Director Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways) was released this week. Check it above. It stars Kristin Wiig, Matt Damon, and Christoph Waltz. It’s about a world where humans are able to shrink themselves down to five inches tall in an effort to save the planet and live richer.

The concept makes me think back to the fantasies of my youth. I imagine I’m not alone when I say that I fantasized about being small like that. The ability to do things that larger people couldn’t. To be able to escape into walls and pop out in other places. To spy on others without their knowing.

I’m not sure if this fantasy was inspired by the cartoon “The Littles” or if I came up with it on my own and it was embellished by the cartoon. Probably the former.

Like other kids, my fantasies often included super powers, like flight, invisibility, speed of movement, laser shooting hands or eyes, telepathy, etc.

There was one fantasy space I lived in in which I could descend into a haven space, a world where I was the only one or I could bring a friend. No matter how long I spent there, no time passed in the real world. So I could be gone for years and return to the same exact time when I left.

In my world, I could do all the things I couldn’t do, or was too young to do. I had cars or go-carts, and four wheelers. I had laser guns and other boys stuff. I had free reign to big buildings or malls to race around in and have access to toys I didn’t have in the real world. The world resembled where I lived in North Carolina, only empty of people, cars and other obstacles.

I know! Fantastical.

Ha.

I can’t say I do not return to my fantasies now. I can’t say that I don’t remember them fondly and wander through those thoughts once in a while as an adult.

To access that child-hood creativity, though, that would be amazing.

There’s a book out that’s getting media attention. I don’t know its name. But it talks about the power of boredom. That there’s power in boredom to inspire creativity. I feel like I fill my days too full with responsibilities some times that I don’t give myself the opportunity to be bored enough.

I think I want to be bored. I’m going to work on that.

Where’s the movie about being bored?