Was Peter Pan Right?

Recently, I have had a LOT of time to think (living alone and 10 hours from your friends can do that to you). It seems that each time I log into Facebook another one of my friends is engaged, married, or even having babies. Just yesterday I had a notification from a name I didn't recognize. Don't worry it was just another one of my friends that had gotten married. When did my friends all start getting married and start having families? This is a new phenomenon to me and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I mean when did I grow up?

Wasn't it just yesterday that Joey and I flooded my bathroom "washing clothes," or playing baseball in the backyard with ghost runners, and having acorn fights at Michael and Holly's? The memories seem too fresh and vivid to be anything other than recent. What about the days of climbing trees, falling off the monkey bars, and chipping my knee cap at a rollerskating birthday party? (I was/still am very much accident prone) I want to go back to the days of building towns out of chalk, exploring the world on just my bike, and saving the universe, one Military operation at a time with Caleb. I long for the days that were worry free, when money didn't matter, and anything was possible.

What ever happened to all of the childhood dreams I once strived to achieve? I was never the typical girl (in anything I did...EVER) that dreamed of being a ballerina. Ballerinas didn't get to wear backwards baseball caps, no I wanted to be in the NBA. (My skills were going to be too much for just the regular old WNBA) After realizing that I was much too short for that dream, my aspirations changed numerous times. At one point I read a story about Madame Curie and thought being a Chemist sounded fun. Madame Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for her discoveries in radiation and later again for discovering two new elements. If the NBA wasn't going to work out, I might as well try and cure a disease, right? However, Chemistry and I didn't like each other too much. So, once again I had to find a new dream. One that didn't require me to be nearing the seven foot mark or the brain child of Albert Einstein.

I realize that my childhood dreams were quite unique, but I miss the childlike state of mind that thought anything was possible. Failing didn't ever cross our minds and fear was only something I experienced when playing hide and go seek in the dark. Now it seems that any dream is followed by the inevitable thoughts of worry and worry's friend, impossibility. How many people dream of being a doctor yet, never even take the MCAT because they believe it impossible to pass? How many people dream of starting their own business, but can't get passed the financial worry? I am not saying these aren't acceptable things to think about. (Lord knows there are plenty of people I don't want to ever be my doctor...childhood dream or not) However, what happens to the mindset of anything is possible? When exactly do we lose that growing up?

Growing up being an actual reality is just too much for me to comprehend at the moment. Senior year of college has come much sooner than expected and I have not been able to fully prepare mentally. Two semesters left of living the "good life" and being close to my friends. After graduation, we are left for the big bad wolves in the real world....yikes! Being responsible is no longer something that warrants praise from the parents, now it becomes expected. We still get cash from the parents when they visit though, right?! (If not, I'm not ever leaving college)

J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, (yes, it was a book and not just a Disney movie) once wrote, "If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree, I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!" There are so many days that I want to have the same attitude. Why would you want to give up a world built straight from your imagination for one in the workplace?

However, J.M. Barrie also wrote, "To live will be a great adventure." I suppose this is the only real reason that growing up makes sense. Living life is a great adventure, one that you cannot fully experience if stuck somewhere in the third grade. Life is meant to progress and change, it allows for memories and adventures beyond just the imagination. While, I may miss saving the world, I believe I still have much to look forward to. A bright future full of many new memories and who knows, maybe one day I'll change the world. I also believe that we are to remain young at heart and still occasionally live in the mindset of a child, one full of wonder and not of doubt. Peter Pan may have been right about not growing up after all.

If you are questioning J.M. Barrie's writings, he also has another quote that I quite enjoy.

"One girl is worth more use than 20 boys."

He must have been one smart man!