Once Upon a Time...

Memories. Safety. Happiness. That's what I think of when I hear those words. When a story begins with that phrase, it sets a magical stage. I've been thinking a lot about the story of my life recently, and how much I've grown. What lies ahead. Where I am now.

I just read Peter Pan in preparation for this blog, and I'm full of thoughts and questions. Like who defines the difference between "make-believe" and "reality"? Who is to say what is real, and what is fake? Could I live my entire life in a fantasy I create? And if so, what would be the outcome? That's how Peter lives. Often I wish I could just hide away, live forever in a state of contented ignorance. Ignorance is such a fascinating concept. It's one of the things that makes children so lovable, but when seen in an adult, people judge them and compare. We crave it, yet loathe it.

I've also been thinking a lot about Imagination. Imagination is one of the greatest gifts we've ever been given. It allows us to escape from the bleakness the world often bathes us in, and have a moment of bliss. A minute to collect yourself. A second to refresh the senses. It is the key to the Neverlands. In P.P., it talks about how Wendy, John and Michael already knew Neverland. They were familiar with the paths, they knew what to expect, because they visited it before in their imagination and their dreams. "As a familiar friend to whom you are returning for the holidays".

Does Neverland even exist? Definitely. Only in our dreams? Maybe, but what's the difference. I'm not the mother to the lost boys in my Neverland, I don't fight Captain Hook, or hunt with Tiger Lily. Because if I did, it wouldn't be my own, and what would be the good of that? I wish every day I could go to a Neverland where time as we know it is stopped, where you live every day with adventure on behind every corner with not a care in the world. But instead, I get to create my own. I can't stop time, but I can create a haven from the world where imagination dies, and dreams flicker and burn out.

Will my story be one of "Once upon a time", or will it be a dreaded tale of bleakness, sorrow, pain and misery? That's entirely up to me and the environment I create for myself. That's pretty powerful, eh?