For years, on and off, I’ve been complaining that my house is too small. But yesterday, I got a gift that expanded the size of my house at no cost.

It arrived shortly after my son had been playing the game Clue. I commented to him that I wished I had a conservatory, a den, a separate dining room and a library, all features of that wonderful game, where people dress beautifully, and I imagine butlers and maids clean and pick up after the inhabitants.

“Follow me,” he said, and I went on a tour of my house to places I did not know existed. First, we visited the conservatory, where I found five potted plants of African violets blooming in the two-tiered shelf next to my bathtub. “The library is next,” he said, and I followed him to a bookshelf in a small enclave squeezed in at the top of the steps. “There’s a bench if you want to sit and read,” he added.

“What about the den?” I asked, determined to stump him.

“Downstairs,” he replied.

We approached the TV in the living room, and he pointed to a space in front of it.
“This area here, right in front of the TV is the den. It’s also the living room back there,” he said, pointing to the couch behind.

The dining room turned out to be in the kitchen. No surprise to me as I’ve converted the ‘real’ dining room into an office.

I was amazed—and happy— to see my house transformed into a mansion through the eyes of my child. Imagination can bring happiness.

When I was a child, I lived in an old colonial house where the kitchen tiles were big squares. Two or three of them were removable. For me, at age five, they were a treasure trove, where imaginary people inhabited those black spaces that my mother probably wanted to retile but never could.

Yesterday provided a gift to me, reminding me of what I already have, especially as I look around and see so many people losing their homes and suffering from the economic turmoil. I’ve lived in this house for 12 years, and my boys love it. They don’t mind giving up their rooms when guests come. It's a lesson for me, to follow their lead to count my blessings and let my imagination roam free.