I've often felt that the joy in life tends to go south once you stop believing in make-believe. When you find out that there're no Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, once you realize that you can't live forever, once you stop believing that you can fly, life then becomes...normal. We put away our GI Joe action figures and Barbie dolls and slowly begin to accept reality. We begin to focus on that "nine to five" reality, the hideous "gotta pay the bills" reality and the worse one of them all, the "Damn, parents really do die" reality.
While all of this "reality" is going on, we stop dreaming. We forget that we once wanted to be a Circus Clown, or an Astronaut or even a Running Back for The Chicago Bears. We start being realistic, whatever that means. The true fantasy is believing that we could actually be happy growing old as we work our asses off at a redundant job that will fire or replace you at the drop of a dime. The unfortunate thing for some is that when they finally admit to themselves that their unhappy with their lives, the red-faced, pointy-horned, "you're too old to change now" reality rears it's ugly face.
Life seems worthless...then they come along. With bright eyes and noses filled with boogers, children remind us what's really important. They give us a renewed vigor and a reason to endure, "I gotta give my children a better life then me." They make us want to be better people, "I'm my daughter's first example of a man, so I need to get my mind right." And most important, they allow us to believe in make-believe, "Okay daddy, I will be Princess Tiana and you can be the alligator!"
Before you know it, you're watching Yo Gabba Gabba and The Backyardigans even when they're not in the room with you and for those precious moments, you're a kid again. Reality is reality, there's no changing that but life is a little easier when every now and then you look at it through Nickelodeon glasses.
Never stop dreaming. If not for you, do it for them!
So, true! I love this article because it reminds us all to put whats important into perspective. When we become adults, we forget to "wish upon a star" or daydream about the impossible because someone told us that to forget those things were the prerequisites to becoming an adult, so we did. I'm putting back on my Nickelodeon glasses. Thank you for reminding me to once again focus on the little things.
ReplyDeleteTanya King Adams