Whims to Wisps...

I've been thinking lately about a number of things, not the least of which is innocence or faith in childhood.

Our lack of imagination and fear of dragons and wishes of princesses or elves or knighthood or to be superheroes or any number of things goes hand in hand with our learning.

I say that I would love to learn everything. But... I think about it and wonder if it'd be in any way beneficial....

Of course it would be in the sense that I would no longer be going through life an ignorant dunce. But... I also would be losing the simplistic bliss of knowing little.

I have fancies, things I like to pretend are the cause for this or that. Even now, in my "enlightened" state (or semi-enlightened, at least). When it mists (not rains, exactly; just a few drops here or there), I like to pretend that it's the wind, tempting me to play with it. By throwing tiny, cold dots of wet on to my arms, my cheeks, my lips, the wind is saying "Come, come! I'm feeling flighty today. Won't you come dance with me? Or how about a game? I know! Tag! You're it!"

I know that's not the case. But isn't it better to think of it that way?

The world seems less dim, less.....straightforward if everything is asking to play a game.

The moon: "Sing to me. Please. I have need to listen to something sweet. How about a game of hide and seek? You hide, first." And when the moon instead slips behind the clouds, would it not be sweeter yet to laugh and say "Oh, Moon. You're playing the game wrong. If I am to hide first, then you have to stay unhidden so as to seek me out!" The moon will laugh in reply and either wait to return from behind the clouds and cry "Found ya!" or keep giggling and whisper "Find me first!"

The city: "Oh, dear. I'm so busy. Why don't you come along with me and we'll take a ride? Won't it be fun, playing 'I Spy' along the way? I'll start: it's bright..."

And the days when war was just a game.... Why can it not be that way? Why do we deem it necessary to kill? Little boys and girls enjoy the ducking and weaving and crawling in the dirt unnoticed to their opponents' side. Then "kk kk kk bang!" The other side goes down, clutching various spots on their chests, crying out, then landing on the ground rolling in mirth. Would that not be better?

The world could be such a fantastical place. Unicorns could be real again. Ogres and goblins would lurk in the night, ready to capture unwitting prey. And these same similar ogres and goblins would be the ones to fall as heroes and heroines go to save the day.

The world would be brighter if all was but a stage... if all was but a game... if all was but a dream.

Fantasies are far more fanciful to entertain than reality can be.

*M