Necessity

Necessity.

"Necessity is the mother of invention," is based on the words of Plato. I find it to be true that sometimes your creativity is stretched when you need something, but don't have it on hand. How many times have you had to substitute one thing for another? 

One of my fails was using French vanilla creamer in my scrambled eggs when I had no milk available. I don't recommend it at all! However, sometimes we come up with a better way when forced to fill a need. I like the idea of using what you have on hand to solve a problem. 

One of my favorite movie scenes is from Apollo 13, when it appears that the crew might not make it home because of some sort of malfunction. The scientists at home are challenged to use a box full of parts found on the spaceship to come up with a solution to save the astronauts. Using ingenuity and necessity they are triumphant and the crew is able to return home safely. 

Once my daughter and I decided to make our own doctor kit as she did not have one. We found items around the house to include in a Winnie the Pooh blue doctor bag. The most creative item we made was a homemade blood pressure cuff. Using an old turkey baster, a scrunchie, a phone cord, and a plastic lemon squeeze bottle we came up with a pretty convincing piece of medical equipment, along with some great memories. 

I encourage you the next time you don't have something on hand to allow, "necessity to be the mother of invention," and to embrace your own creativity. Who knows, your invention might earn you a spot on Shark Tank.