Did you have an invisible friend growing up? Whenever I ask that question, about 90% of the time the answer is—YES!

The reasons vary—companionship, loneliness (like me), or maybe the joy of bossing someone around without fear of consequences. Whatever the reason, those imaginary buddies were part of our lives. And according to some studies, people who had imaginary friends as children are highly intelligent. I’ll take that one and run with it!

My own invisible-friend journey began in our laundry room, where I’d spend hours while my mom did the wash. Back then, laundry was serious work—she scrubbed clothes by hand, cranked them through a wringer, then hung them outside to dry. (I still remember my sister getting her arm stuck in the wringer, but that’s another story!)

With all that time to myself, I invented companions. Their names? Ajax, Borax, Clorox, and the twins—Good Bluish and Bad Bluish. Familiar names, right? Hey, I was only three—I had to work with what I saw on the shelves!

Eventually, I created a best invisible friend named Sally. She was perfect. She loved every idea I had, never complained, and always played what I wanted to play. Later came an invisible pet. Now, why I needed one is a mystery—we always had plenty of dogs and cats running around. But sure enough, I ended up with an invisible pig named Old Long Snout. Little did I know I’d write a children’s book about him decades later. Maybe he knew all along—he was a precocious pig like that.

I have to admit, I kind of miss having invisible friends around. When my daughter was a toddler and came up with her own invisible friend (a chipmunk named Chester), it thrilled me! Except—unlike my childhood—I couldn’t see him. I could see all of my own invisible friends clear as day, but as an adult, they’d faded away. Still, I believe in them. Perhaps they’re like Santa Claus—you don’t have to see them to know they’re real.

Maybe invisible friends are proof that imagination never really goes away—it just hides until you call it back. So if you ever see me talking to thin air, don’t worry. I’m just catching up with Sally… and making sure Old Long Snout hasn’t eaten all the apples.

-Peni