I remember being in high school and feeling invincible. It was a deep seated, naive way of thinking that told me that no one else, in the history of the world, had ever loved so hard, laughed so much, or cared so deeply for the world, and the people in it. I was thoroughly convinced of tangible magic in everyday living - one just had to look for it. I believed that everyday was an adventure, and that the more ridiculous an idea sounded, the more fun it would probably end up being. I built a life philosophy around loving God, being loyal no matter what, getting into fountains, wearing bright colors, laughing, dancing in cars, and believing in love.
I think part of this naive worldview came from my deep belief that God is good, creative, untamed, loyal, compassionate, and exciting. If this was the God of the universe, whom I deeply loved, how could I be any different?
But then, the inevitable happened. The process of growing up started, as the concept of reality began hitting close to home. There were days that the magic of life I had once believed in seemed unattainable - a foolish dream of someone who knew nothing of life, and its harsh mistreatment to those who lived it. I became resigned to a life that wasn't living, but surviving.
Thankfully, this didn't last long, for one simple reason. In the spring of my freshmen year of college, I was reminded that God is still the same God I always believed Him to be. His nature, and His character don't change, despite my changing life circumstances.
I've gone back to my Peter Pan, Neverland, life-is-a-grand-and-beautiful-adventure way of thinking. And here's the cool thing - I KNOW that I'm right. Because no matter how hard life might get, it's beautiful, if you're willing to see it. No matter how hard situations may be - you still have the choice to be happy, and find fun and laughter through small sources everyday. And no matter what people think, or say, everyone has the ability to be exactly who they want to be.
