“To seek the world you wish you knew, become dormant to the one you do.”
How many times have I said, “I hate this world?”
Too many to count.
So what worlds do I like?
Fantasy!
Any other fantasy readers here? I spent so much more time in my formative years reading and rereading my favorite series than I did intentionally interacting with my own world. Between Spiderwick Chronicles, Shadowhunter series, the “Fallen” novels, House of Night, Twilight, The Blue Bloods novels, Guardians of Ga’Hoole and more, I craved the next story that would take me out of this world and into another. One magical and incredible, but tough. One with characters that were strong, fierce, caring and funny.
Back when I worked at an art supply store, I would often read during my breaks and realized one day that I snapped at my friend for interrupting my reading. Not because I only had so many minutes for break, but because I prioritized that world over my own.
How many meals and water breaks have we all skipped because it would require us to put the books down? Endless.
These worlds we read are wonderful! I love them with an ache in my chest that will never be filled because I cannot touch these worlds I read. I cannot live in them. I won’t ever swish a wand and have my intention be realized before my very eyes. I’ll never fly with my own wings. I’ll never shift into another creature. It’s a pain only those who want such places to be real know.
But why do we love these worlds so much? I’ve thought about this time and time again. We avoid conflict. We avoid confrontation. We avoid change as best we can. We fear it, even. Our world is fraught with daily examples of making sure we never “rock the boat.” All these actions which fill our books and spark the change we crave.
The flowers are the different worlds of different stories. The one we have read and explored, the one we are currently exploring, and the one we are excited to meet. Full of color, light, magic and life. The glow of the leaves on the ground represents the realm we build in our heads, for we all have a fantasy where we are different; stronger, smarter, “cooler",” and braver. We build it up in our minds as we spend more time in our heads. If daydreaming were a job, I’d be set for six lives. Basically put, it’s that part where we try to bring it to life.
There is a downside to being so present in these realms. We become dormant to our own. We let our world continue to be “crap” because “it’s never going to change.” Because change is hard. Change is scary. It’s never easy and when we want change, we hardly consider how it will affect many others. More so, though, change requires sacrifice, and that’s the hardest part of all.
How many characters have we spent hours in the early morning sobbing over because we lost them and it felt like losing an actual loved one? Their loss more profound and painful than we thought it would be.
I don’t want to stop there, though. I don’t want to say, “I hate this world, and I wish it could be this way.” What holds you back from just— living it that way? Just do it.
“I wish I lived in a world where my mailbox was filled with letters from loved ones instead of just bills.” So, write. (Although, be warned— writing a letter can be more difficult than you anticipate if you haven’t done it before. Worth it, though.)
“I wish I could make these for myself.” So, do it. Read instructions, watch a video— PLAY.
How about, “I wish I didn’t have to do this one thing.” So, don’t.
Hint— It’s harder than you think!
The world we live in is a game someone created centuries ago with rules that mostly make sense, and some that don’t. We don’t want many things that are. We want many things that aren’t. There will always be some things we will never be able to do, no matter how much we want it. We call these things “magic,” but how much have you actually tried?
”Dormant” is about being that change. If you don’t want to be a part of this world, stop participating in it. If you want it to change— start participating in it. It’s all about where you choose to be and how you choose to build, but whatever you do, whether it is starting or stopping— center it around the magic. The things that give you hope, the things that make you and others laugh and smile and feel alive in the best way. For even those who want to be alone seek companionship in the friends we find in books.
What’s something from any movie, book, video game, etc. that you would love to bring into this world? What world would you want to live in and why? Do you prefer fantasy or reality?
~ Taylor