what more could there be?

Can we please talk about this for a moment?

Peter Pan original release date: February 5, 1953.

BOOM.

Destiny.

Most of you know, and those of you who don't clearly do not know me well enough, that my all time favorite story is that of Peter Pan.

I am in love.

I have been for as long as I can remember.

When I was younger, my love of Peter Pan was rooted in the fantasy of being whisked away to Neverland to partake in endless adventure.

And to fly, obviously.

I never closed my window, no matter the outside temperature, because I was (and still am, to be honest) waiting for Peter to take me away.

I don't need to go forever.

But come on,

Neverland!

I remember swinging on the play set in my backyard imagining that I could fly. I'd play "Wendy". That didn't last long though because Wendy is super lame. I'll give her credit for accepting the adventure in the first place. That's about it though.

I think even from a young age my extreme dislike of Wendy stemmed from the fact that Wendy is a representation of adulthood and there is no way that I'm ready for that nor do I ever want to be as seen or embrace the feeling of "old". 

Young at heart.

Forever. 

(but not in a #yoloswag type way. that's gross)

Towards the end of the story, Peter says to Wendy in response to her complaints regarding the "lackingness" of Neverland,

"I taught you to fight and to fly! What more could there be?"

Oh, Peter.

Life is so much more beautiful than fighting and flying.

There are endless possibilities when you choose to really live your life.

This is how my love of Peter Pan has shifted.

I am still completely enamored, don't get me wrong.

Peter is a child. He looks at the world with simple eyes.

He understands the difference between good and evil.

He recognizes the necessity for fun and spontaneity.

He is incredibly loyal.

He is persistent.

He loves a good story.

I want to always be like Pan.

I hope that forever I will remember to choose what is right, crave adventure, stay true, never give up and remain infatuated with story. 

To see the world through the eyes of a child,

not jaded by the hardships of life,

wholly optimistic,

fearless,

trusting,

full of laughter.

For as J.M. Barrie writes

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies."

If you have not yet read the original novel Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie, I would highly recommend that you do so. 

Now.

Return to your youth.

I challenge you to look through your eyes, how ever many years they have seen, and remember what how the world is perceived by a child.

Stay there for a while.

Soak in the beauty. 

Then, go play.

"Do you know" Peter asked "Why swallows build in the eves of houses? It is to listen to the stories."