"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

Okay, so now to take a break from Peter Pan, this is a Harry Potter quote! Woo!
Now that we have that out of the way, This particular quote comes from the... first book, yes! I choose it because it's still kind of like the last blog post I did, about dreams, but unlike my last blog post this one discourages you from living on your dreams.
As a child, you play pretend, you dream but soon when you grow up and then it no longer becomes socially acceptable to just sit at home all day dreaming, you need to live too. I'm not saying don't dream, because we need dreams to function, even some adults dream, but you don't see them dwell on them now do you? No they live, and sometimes they live out their dreams.
At eleven, when Hogwarts letters are sent out, most of the kids are in that state where they want to be all grown up and want nothing to do with childish things, so it's a good age, and at Hogwarts they do a lot of growing up, but the acceptance age is the one I want to focus on. Eleven, to young to be a teenager, but to old to be a child. A (Personally I think) very awkward age, you're going to through puberty and you don't really know what to do with your self. You want to be all grown up and participate in grown up things, but because they still see you as a young child, you can't. You may think you're to old to even dream, or read fairy tales, well, I was probably the only eleven year old who still watched disney fairy tales on a regular basis. That's because I was young, and I liked grown up things, like sitting at the adults table instead of the kids table at family gatherings, or being involved in their conversations, but I couldn't really partake in them now could I? I was a child.
Some kids don't like to dream, even when they're young, to go it alone with no hopes or dreams to back them up in life, and I certainly was not that that child! I loved to dream, I could sit for hours on our window seat, looking out our front windows; watching the squirrels play, wishing, DREAMING that I could be one of them. I soon learned that being a squirrel would probably suck, but still I loved to dream about their lives.
I'm seventeen now, a far cry from that little girl who sat on the window to dream about the life of small woodland creatures, I think now about my future, what I want to be when I grow up, (which I guess I should've thought about that a long time ago..) I think about love, and what it really is, and I think maybe someday that it could be for me.

-Birdy


"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.”

As a child, you are generally fearless. you have to worry about silly things like falling and cutting yourself of course, but you don't worry about what you're going to do with yourself in the future, or if you'll end up completely alone later in life. You want always to be a child and to have fun, not to worry. You grow up though, and then you have more things to be afraid of then just a scrape on your knee or a bump on your head. School worries take over, family worries, friendships, all sorts a things. You cease to have that childhood mentality, you begin to doubt in things that you grew up learning. "All the monsters live under your bed and if you don't believe in them, you'll be safe" that's a childhood thought, and when you grow up you see they're scarier things in the world. Monsters like 'betrayal' 'lying' 'being hurt' and many more. The point is that the monsters in your closet become things of the past, to be replaced with adult fears.
When you're a child, Peter Pan is a thought process (I call this the 'Peter Pan Mentality') Peter is the embodiment of childhood, and Peter is a child (the book even says that he still has all his baby teeth) he's immature and frankly he's not afraid of anything. Remember though, he is a child, he doesn't face any of those adult worries or fears, all he has to worry about is to make sure he doesn't do anything to stupid (but how often does that happen? I mean really?) I remember when I was little all I wanted to do was fly, I didn't care how I did it, I could've jumped off a roof to try, and believe me I certainly tried (word from the wise, don't do it!) I would jump off things, or run to get a head start and plow into something or someone. Those attempts gained me some battle scars and a couple sprained ankles. I tried so hard one I ran into a door I wasn't looking where I was going and it wasn't very pretty, but believe it or not the next day I was at it again. I told my mom multiple times that I flying was what I wanted, I always told her that I wanted go in a plane, she always told me that we never had the money to take my family of five on a plane. I didn't ask her again, I was seven last time I wanted to fly, I grew up, I was fifteen when I finally flew on a plane, and I was petrified, I flew alone to go meet my best friend in Florida for a week, and being alone on a plane for the first time, growing up and hearing of all the various plan crashes over the years, well it's enough to instill a little bit of fear. The ten year anniversary of 9/11 had passed about a week prior to me flying out. It wasn't as fun as I thought, but it certainly was not as bad as it could've been. Over all it was a wonderful flight, I flew back just fine and I now don't really have any desire to repeat that experience.
That's what I'm talking about though, when I was seven I would've given anything to fly in a plane or fly in Neverland, just to fly and be free. I would even injure myself to fulfill my dream. I'm grown up now, I'm very fearful of things. "The moment when you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to." I doubt that I can do it anymore, and I've grown up, I mean what five year old thinks that they can't rule the world someday? What five year old thinks that they'll never get married or they'll never be able to do what they want, they are FEARLESS.
So take a page from the younger generation, see how they live life to the fullest, how they notice everything and anything. Watch how to live, how they operate, do they care if you tell them no you can't fly. No they will try to their whole being. They play out their future as they see it, a future when they will be forever Young. Truly FEARLESS.

-Birdy

 "The moment when you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to."

“Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning. ”

Away we go, away we fly, to our imaginations, to a place in our minds that's safe, and is available to no one else but you. An escape from reality as it t'were, I think we all have somewhere like that, with our own special way to get there. Mine is a quite little spot in the very back of my mind, I arrive there right before I fall into the dream state. It's special and warm, all floaty and it's mine, and only who I allow to be in it is there. My friends, a couple family members, my pony and a couple of other things that I cherish. That's my Neverland and it's just past the point where I start to laugh uncontrollably, the turning point right after so slap happy beyond belief. It's a place where I will say ANYTHING, but most importantly. It's my place.
Neverland. Let's just ponder that for a moment if you don't mind. Neverland, one word. BIG meaning. A place where children WILL dream, to make their day dreams come true. I think I always wished to go there, I mean who doesn't want to see mermaids, or be able to fly? I would, wouldn't you?
Peter is some people's Neverland, he's their second star to the right and straight on till morning. Just past sanity and a right at reasoning. A boy who can fly? I mean who thinks of this stuff? Someone who still holds onto their childhood with an iron fist that's who. J.M. Berrie wrote about a boy who could fly, who had a fairy for a best friend, someone who fought pirates, a boy of legends, a boy that every young person somedays dreams of being.
I'm seventeen, I should be all grown up, but look at that, I'm not, one year till I'm legal; hardly any plans for what to do, but for me; I think that's where I need to be, I take things as they come to me, not the other way around. I used to be a planner, but everything kinda fell apart all around me. I said ''screw planning, I'm gonna do this my way" my dream state then took over, I follow my heart when I make decisions, because my future is only what I make my present to be. Some people like to live in the past, but the past is what has shaped me to be who I am now, in the PRESENT. My present will mold my future, not the other way around. I can't live like my future will change my present. Because it won't and I'm sorry if that's how you (my readers((if I even have any))) think.
A dream state, (Neverland) is where my dreams are taken to be accounted for, to live in harmony with each other, for me to pick and choose which one I would like to use.  Where my dreams are SAFE from people who want to discourage me, or throw me off the path of my success, my dreams that will carry me though life.
Now let us not become confused for a second. I'm in no way saying that my dreams are the only guidelines to my life, because if that was true then I would have everything that I want; sadly however I don't. I have what I have though hard work and dedication. I pick a dream and I stick with it, until it's no longer a dream but it's a true reality. Then I can replace it with a new dream, a new mission.
Maybe someday my dream state will be empty, but with any luck, I'll get married someday, have kids and then have dreams for them. I never want to go to my dream state one night, right before I drift off to sleep and find that there's nothing there anymore. I want to be a dreamer forever, because right now I AM a dreamer.

-Birdy

"Second star to the to right and straight on 'til morning."

"Wendy will cry but her love will NEVER die, for the boy who taught her how to fly"

We all grow up, but sometimes we even love, yes even as a young child we still love, not just for our parents, or our siblings, (but lets face it, who likes their siblings when you're young?) most of the time it's for a childhood friend, a childhood love as they are more commonly known as, I think every one has one, someone they've either dated, or just become best friends, but still everyone's had one. I still know mine actually, and I've been friends with him for years, and it's just been a friendship, and a wonderful one at that, but still, he was one of the first boys I actually liked, and enjoyed hanging out with other then my brother.
Peter Pan (yes, it does all come back to that) was the only one who never truely loved, oh he cared for Wendy, but he would never really love her the way that she wanted. Peter needed Wendy but in a way that he would have someone who was there for him, to share his adventures with, but nothing more. Wendy, I believe truly had feelings for this wild, unruly child but Peter would never have feelings for her. He was (as I stated before) WILD. Completely and utterly wild, never to be tamed by a human, or a mother.
Peter never wanted a mother, that's why he ran away, so he could be young forever and always, but when he met Wendy and brought her to live with him I think the last thing he expected was that she would be so good for him. That she would keep him grounded and make him think about his answers, but I don't think that Wendy expected that she would find her childhood love in Peter. Now a days that's all people want in books, is an epic romance between the two main characters, but what ever happened to just a friendship? A friendship with more meaning then anything, a friendship so powerful that the other would die for them, that's what Peter and Wendy's friendship is.
I want a friendship like that more then anything, where someone who loves me more then they love themselves is willing to give up their lives just to keep me safe. Everything has it's time though right?
When you hear the phrase, "she's your Wendy isn't she?" you instantly think of Peter Pan, because where else in all of literacy is the name Wendy so widely recognized? In Peter Pan, Wendy is his best friend, his companion. Wendy on the other hand was also someone he cherished, someone he cared deeply for, he cried when Wendy grew up, and he fought to try to make her stay in Neverland with him but in end it just wasn't enough, Peter doesn't know that every relationship needs compromise, and theirs was no different. When Peter didn't compromise Wendy did the only thing that she knew, which was to leave, and soon Peter realized what she had done and he was sad, but he tried to get over it, but he never did, that's why he went after Wendy.
We all in away try to hold onto our first loves, our childhood best friends or maybe even our people now. Some stay in contact, maybe talking over the phone every couple of months, or writing letters, (oh wait, you guys mostly use email now don't you?) or some even go the step farther and see each other, but then they're some that make that the big step and maybe keep those feelings for each other, realizing that what they had in when they were children was real and wasn't just something that they made up in their minds. They pursue a relationship and it works, for the most part, it's theirs.

-Birdy

"Wendy will cry but her love will NEVER die, for the boy who taught her how to fly."

“All children, except one, grow up.”

True enough, all children do grow up, except for Peter. Peter is the embodiment of all childhood dreams really, he fly's in and out of our memories, making us smile or laugh at the craziest moments, making us wish we could relive favorite memories; not truly wanting to grow up.
When I think of memories I would like to hold onto, they're mostly in my teen years, such as last year, and the year before, when I really started to find out who I was as a person and who I would soon become, as I am now. I remember thinking, 'I wish I could just stop time when I get to age seventeen or so..' but we all know that would never happen, now at seventeen I wish I'd held onto the memories and the experiences even more then I had when I was young. I wish I'd let my Peter Pan come though my mind a little more, to as I describe it, 'slow the process' and let me live my childhood a little bit longer, but sadly we can't go back and repeat sophomore and junior year, which to tell you the truth, I don't really care all that much. I wish I could've stopped and watched myself live it, giving myself little words of encouragement when I would need or to tell myself I was about to do something INCREDIBLY stupid and to think twice about it.
When I was between the ages five and seven I wished so hard that Peter would come and take me away, that I could meet the boy who was twelve and still had EVERY single one of his baby teeth, who had fair hair and fair skin, a light hearted and mischievous boy who would get me into trouble and probably make me want to hurt him, but none the less I wished he would come through my window and take me away with him to Neverland, so I wouldn't have to answer those questions of 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' and I never knew what to tell them, I think the earliest memory of me actually answering the question is that I wanted to go with pixies and Peter Pan. All the adults laughed and I frankly didn't understand what was happening. Every year when we would take our annual family camping trip I would run up to my room the second we got home to see if there was anything in my room for me, I always believed that Peter would be sitting on my bed, playing his little wooden flute and tell me that it was finally time to go away with him to Neverland, to live with him and become a lost girl.
The book Peter Pan clearly states that their are only lost boys saying that the boys fall out of their prams when the nurse isn't looking, but girls are much to clever to fall out of their prams. If a baby isn't claimed within ten days then it's sent to the Neverlands, I'm adopted and I always believed that I was the only girl ever to fall out of her pram, but I was claimed by a wonderful amazing family, so I still have the wildness that would've been instilled in me if I'd gone. I believe in all those fairy tale creatures, that somewhere there is a prince waiting for me one day to sweep me off my feet, although in Neverland, only children live there, haven't you ever realized that there aren't any adults?

-Birdy

“All children, except one, grow up.” 

“Never is an awfully long time.”

To say 'never' can be alot of things. It can be 'I'll 'never' forget how much I love you.' or something like 'I hate you! I 'never' want to see you again!' but see, never is used in two completely different statements, however you look at it though, never is a awfully long time, when you say never to someone, you're making them a promise, wether it be a promise to never stop loving you, or a promise of just how deep their hatred seems to be.
When I think of never though, I always think of NEVERland. Somewhere, out there in the universe is a place where children never grow up; staying young forever to live out dreams, but one happens the kids start to think about going home? Do they forget their homes, their families, their dreams. Dreams as unimportant as some people think they are, they really aren't, dreams are what we look forward, and no I'm not talking about dreams like day dreams, things that I would want, or nightmares, your fears being realized, but dreams, about your future; like what I want to be when I grow up or what I want for a family of my own someday. Children in Neverland however, forget that; because if they remember such things then they'll be forced to leave and grow up. Something Peter Pan never did mind you, (see, there's that word 'never' again.)
Peter was the only boy who never grew up, not simply because he didn't want to go to school, or because he didn't want to become a man, he wanted to always be a boy and to have fun. To live out his ENDLESS childhood dreams, to forever be young. I mean I talk about not growing up, but I think I would be incredibly sad if one day I was told that I would never turn twenty-one or I would never get married and have children, that I had to be under my parents rule forever, I think if that was the case then I would rather live in Neverland, where I could be on my own, but who would be with me? Peter? No, Peter is always busy, causing his own mischief finding more people to add to Neverland, but I think it must be quite hard, considering some kids actually want to grow up and become adults, or some who just never want to leave home because they'll miss mummy and daddy.
I want to grow up, as much I would love to be seventeen forever, being seventeen is horrid, you can't do anything really, I sadly don't have my license and therefore I'm stuck at home most days, except when I make plans with people, but going to Neverland, oh that would be an awfully big adventure, but I prefer my sweet, quiet life.
Think again of Peter Pan for another minute if you don't mind, he ran away when he heard his parents talking about he someday would become a man, he, a small child ran away to Kensington Gardens, to hide away with the fairies, then he went to Neverland, to have a arch-enemy in a pirate, to have a best friend in Tinkerbell, and to have followers such as the Lost Boys, and when everyone had either left him or been defeated, Peter didn't care, oh I think he probably still thought of Wendy and the Lost Boys, but he didn't dwell on it like adults do, Peter knew no fear, which is the difference between adults and children. Peter may have experienced terrible things and almost death, but he is still fearless.

-Birdy

“Never is an awfully long time.”

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.”

Goodbye. It's one word with a sad meaning. It means that we're growing up and moving on. Peter Pan knows that when you say goodbye you'll forget about him, you'll forget about Neverland and all the adventures that you had when you were a child.
I think though, everyone at some point in their lives do need to say goodbye to either something or someone. You know when someone is dying and they say "Don't say goodbye? Don't forget?" There's truth to that saying because more often then not when we say goodbye, our minds except that they are really TRUELY gone and you forget those happy memories that you had with someone, may it be a family member who passed or a friend who moved away, but when you admit to yourself that they are gone, then they really are.
I can tell from experience that when you harbor a memory or something someone gave you that the memory is stronger then if you had nothing. I have a parrot from the grandmother and I still can remember her giving this old beanie baby parrot and I knew that she was dying even when she was giving me the bird. I was probably around eight when she passed away. I still hold onto memories and It hurts to go to my grandparents home, my grandfather remarried and he's changed almost everything in the house, the kitchen where she cooked is different, the living room where she lived is so much different, the bedrooms upstairs have changed; most of her trinkets have gone to her children. The only thing that remains untouched is the sitting room at the front of the house, still this strange yellow color, the furniture exactly the same the pictures haven't been changed since 2008, the piano is still in the corner the room, it hasn't been played for a long time. It however is my favorite room in the whole home. I feel strange when I go to my grandfathers, like I'm walking on broken glass, like the sitting room has a spell on it, it won't ever age as long as no one mentions my grandmother. How I want to though, how I wish I could just have memories about her, but that however would mean that I've excepted that she really is gone. I don't want to say goodbye, because to me she's not really gone.
So lets take a page from Peter's book and say see you later, or I'll miss you, but never Goodbye, because goodbye means going away.

-Birdy

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” 

“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.”

So, when Peter would come and get you, he would always have a little pixie with him right? Well sometimes it's not Tinkerbell, its another pixie; you see, fairies are so small that they don't live for very long. Peter always forgets them when they are gone, it doesn't hurt him you see, to forget. He's a child, sometimes things just don't matter as much as they would for adults.
When he does come, and he very well just might, he has a fairy, and it sprinkles you with pixie dust. I always think that you should always remember the motto, 'Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust' with that you can fly anywhere you want, but Peter doesn't want to fly just anywhere however, he wants us to fly home with him, to stay forever and ever. Most mothers however just want their children to stay for spring cleaning. Peter started this tradition with Wendy, when Mrs. Darling said she could go help him with spring cleaning, so since then whenever Peter does come, he only takes you for a while, not to say his house is clean, of course not! He's a young lad who sometimes forgets the virtues of cleaning and sorts. When Peter brings you home he say's he'll come back for you next year, but more often then not he will forget about you, and come at sporadic moments in your life. He didn't come much for Wendy, so don't think he'll remember you every year either. He also took Jane, Wendy's little girl, she and her children if I'm not mistaken still go with Peter when he needs them to help clean his home.
What happens though when you, the little child who flew with Peter grows up? What do you think happens to that poor boy who has no one? He forgets, sometimes he remembers the children as they grow up, but more often he'll forget, oh of course he'll be sad when you leave, he doesn't like watching people grow up. Let me remind you however, he was and still is the only little boy who never grew up, despite what all the movies and books may say about Peter, he NEVER grew up. He watched the Lost Boys mature into men and have a family, but he himself never wanted to grow up and become a man, as he put it, "I don't want to go to school and learn solemn things," he told her passionately. "I don't want to be a man. O Wendy's mother, if I was to wake up and feel there was a beard!" - Peter Pan talking to Mrs. Darling 
Peter just couldn't grasp the concept of growing up, and why would he want to? Sure he doesn't have a mother, but he's been on his own for how long? Maybe ten or thirteen years and he is certainly not ready to grow up. Peter doesn't even want to look into the future to see what he could grow up to be, because if he does so then he will forsake childhood and be forced to grow up. 
And we wouldn't the boy who will never grow to grow up now do we? 

What if I don't ever wanna grow up? -Kira Stone

I grew up surround by magic. Not the literal kind, like they use in Harry Potter; but the kind that only comes from reading a good story or hearing beautiful music. I may not live in neverland like I want, but I hold, nurture, care for, and love the spirit of the place. I never once did fly with Peter Pan, but I tried too mind you. I grew up listening to stories about Narnia and all the magical adventures that they had there. Of kings and queens and talking animals and lions that ruled the whole country; I always thought to myself; 'now wouldn't I give anything to go live in a place like that?' and truth be told, I probably would've already. Time though however, passes. We grow older and we mature into young adults, still clinging on to the belief that we are still children who are just turning six or seven. In reality, we are not. We grow out of Peter Pan and Narnia, we forget about the lost boys, about Aslan and the White Witch. We forget that Wendy forgot about her mother, we forget that four siblings became great kings and queens. We stop outwardly believing, oh somewhere deep inside I'm sure we still harbor some of our old habits, but most of them are gone, faded away with the rest of our childhood. Mine however, haven't. I still believe I can fly with Peter and Wendy, I believe that someday I'll be in Narnia, and I hear the stories of the great kings and queens. I still believe that someday, I'll see all those things and I'll be able to do everything I want, to achievemy dreams I believe is a phase used often, but instead of it just being a dream. It will be my REALITY. 

-Birdy.

"To die, would be an awfully big adventure" -Peter Pan.

"You're sure to do impossible things, when you follow your heart." -Thumblenina