Peter Pan

It seems you can only love from a distance. It seems you have drifted too far in the land of optimism. Even in fairy tales, there are crocodiles. Peter Pan may teach you to fly! On second thought, this may be selfish; there are many who need you today. Or maybe it’s simpler than that.

Maybe we all need to wear a pair of green tights and a feathered hat. Then the laughter would no longer grow of malice’s rain (reign), but of common humiliation and true bewilderment - how did he even fit into those with feet the size of bowling balls? Look how your belly protrudes above the waist like a sour apple! Oh yes this is it! Now walk to your banking job twelve blocks away in the miserable city with your serious briefcase and try to keep a poker-face. Ha! Lark and skip and be pleasant - I command it! Fall in potholes and laugh. Now, with green tights and a feathered hat and all manner of play you have no choice but to laugh at grief and they have no choice but to laugh at yours. Even in death you will look funny and you will laugh from beyond yourself. We have come to a common understanding; we will look very stupid all of the time. Would we not be more inclined to help our fellow costume bearers? Your neighbor who wheeled over your old cat? She is now wearing tights and looking humiliated as she gets the mail. It is satisfying to see her miserable and she sees you through the window, donning your feathered hat and grinning, and she can’t help but grin too. This is the comraderie that will endure. Self help authors and the Dali Lama be damned there is no better antidote than this!

We are all in feathered hats and green tights and we do not even know it. We are all humiliated and shameful and angry and hurting. We are all partial to humor yet find it hard to laugh. There is no other choice, we all must laugh together. Somehow, the pain we share now is not enough.