Okay, real talk, when I was a kid I totally had a crush on Peter Pan (and maybe still do...) There was just so much to love about him, from his dashing looks to his carefree and adventurous spirit...and his ability to fly, of course! I loved that he took Wendy and her brothers on an amazing adventure, and that even though he didn’t want them to leave and grow up, he was just what they needed in order to come to terms with the inevitability of becoming an adult.

There’s so much beauty and innocence that we attribute to childhood, and a lot of that comes from the fact that children don’t have all of the trials and disappointments from adulthood weighing down on them. We can see that so clearly in Mr. Darling, how short-tempered and frustrated he is, how little optimism and light he brings to his family, because he’s an adult and has lost his childhood faith and innocence. And we apply that mentality to adulthood as a whole, from losing our belief in characters like Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, being doubtful of miracles, and generally just not believing in the possibility or the existence of magic. But this is exactly why I think a story like Peter Pan is so important, and it’s not really Peter who provides us with the greatest lesson to take away from this story: it’s Wendy. She’s a reminder that we don’t have to lose that purity of mind just because we have to grow up. That we can bring that magic with us every step of the way, even through the hardships, even through the struggles. Wendy had the firmness of mind that we develop as we grow older and get more exposure to the world around us, but she also had the lightness of heart to allow herself to experience the magic of Neverland. And when we carry that innocence with us, it can allow us to do all the things we’re now afraid of doing because doubt clouds our minds and fears fill our hearts. To put it simply, if we can find a way to maintain our youthful innocence, “we can fly”!

But sometimes it’s not enough to just believe. To make real effecting change, we sometimes need a helping hand. As much as I would like to believe that anyone can do whatever they set their mind to, I also think it’s important to recognize the impact having support from others can have on our results. And that’s why flying takes a little more than just faith and trust. It takes “faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust”