Finding Neverland

I finally saw "Finding Neverland." It was every bit as beautiful and magical as I expected it to be, and I am still processing much of the film. In many ways, it reminded me "The Man of La Mancha." The power of imagination and the ability to see the world not just as it is, but as it should be...that is why the quote on the top of my blog means so much to me. With all the stuff that goes on in the world it is so important to be able to use your imagination and to see the world as it could be.

I know JM Barrie is not a perfect man (I have heard him referred to as that generation's Michael Jackson, whatever that means), but he was able to capture something amazing during that summer with those boys. And what he captured, what he created, was Neverland--a place where fairies are real, the imagination is the most powerful tool of all, and time is chasing after us all. Grown-ups try to spoil the fun. I know I am an adult and I know I see the world differently than I did when I was a child, but I hope and pray that I never lose my sense of wonder...

This quote struck me toward the beginning of the movie:

Just a dog? Rufus dreams of being a bear, and you want to shatter those dreams by saying he's just a dog? What a horrible candle-snuffing word. That's like saying, "He can't climb that mountain, he's just a man," or "That's not a diamond, it's just a rock." Just.

So often I am guilty of saying those things...I can't do it, I'm just...they can't do it, they're just...This quote reminded me that perception is really everything. How we see the world, how we see the obstacles that we encounter, how we see the every day moments of our lives...

If we see them as 'just' anything, there is no magic, no beauty, no experience -- we are living just life, not the amazing adventure we are supposed to breathe in and out every day.

How do we stop ourselves from doing that? by 'just' believing in the magic of a place called Neverland.