Before my first trip to India, I had a very particular image in my mind. I wanted to find a small animal, perhaps an elephant, beautifully decorated with semi-precious stones. I couldn't tell you exactly where the idea came from. I hadn't seen anything quite like it. I simply imagined this little creature, something whimsical and luxurious, adorned with colorful stones and small enough to live somewhere in my home.
And once the image appeared, it stayed with me.
I've always been fascinated by the way we sometimes know what we want before we've actually seen it. There is a picture in your mind, a feeling about how something should look, and then you go through the world hoping to find its counterpart. Sometimes you never do. But occasionally, the world surprises you.
When Stephen and I traveled to India, we visited Jaipur, where we had a wonderful guide who took us to a particularly fine jewelry shop. It was known for extraordinary craftsmanship and beautiful stones, a jeweler that Barbara Walters was said to have visited whenever she traveled to India.
We were browsing when I noticed a remarkable creature: a large frog encrusted with stones. It was magnificent, but it wasn't quite what I had imagined. Still, it made me think that perhaps the little animal I'd been picturing might be hiding somewhere in the shop. So, I asked one of the salespeople whether they had any smaller animals — perhaps elephants, decorated with semi-precious stones?
She disappeared into the back of the store. And when she returned, she was carrying exactly what I had been imagining. I couldn't believe it.
There, in front of me, were these wonderful little elephants, beautifully embellished with rubies, sapphires and emeralds, looking almost exactly like the creatures that had been wandering around in my imagination. I felt as though I had conjured them into existence.
Of course, they had been there all along. Someone had imagined them, designed them, and made them long before I arrived in Jaipur. But there was something magical about discovering that an object I had pictured so clearly in my mind actually existed somewhere in the world.
Naturally, the elephants came home with us. Today, the elephants live on Stephen’s nightstand. The larger one is Herbert, and the smaller one is Herbie. Yes, I name my little creatures. Why wouldn't I?
What I especially love about Herbert and Herbie is the story of how they came into our lives. They remind me that imagination can be a wonderful guide. Sometimes we find something beautiful because we happen to notice it in a shop window or on a shelf. Other times, we carry an idea with us for months or years, and when we finally encounter it, there is an immediate feeling of recognition.
There you are. I've been looking for you. Welcome home!
Happily Ever Always™.
