Peter Pan Syndrome

Peter Pan Syndrome

At nearly 21 years old, I realize that the fountain of youth, whatever that may be, doesn’t have to be compromised in the transition towards adulthood. As long as we hold on to that little magic that is youth, we don’t have to abandon things we enjoy simply because we are getting old. One magic aspect of Disneyland is that problems seemingly don’t exist. Calories did not exist as I was chin deep in Mexican cuisine in the tourist trap of Downtown Disney. The pimple on my forehead certainly did not exist as the bright, radiating sunlight hit my face, exposing all my pores for others to see. Disneyland somehow had this effect to erase all bad things that would otherwise take a dash of self-denial and an active self-awareness to ignore. The beautiful thing about youth, namely children, is that they are carefree by nature, whether they are unabashedly proud*, or at least optimistically oblivious**, to what would otherwise be inane adult problems***. Before you enter the park, Walt Disney welcomes you with: “Here you leave today, and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.” These are the words of a successful entrepreneur who never grew up. With his ingenuity, wild imagination, and desire - even posthumously - to create an ever-expanding theme park, a person never has to. Instead of always waiting for my next trip to Disneyland, I ought to create a life I don’t need to temporarily escape from. While I will inevitably get older, it does not necessarily mean I have to grow up. Sharing my similar reluctance to adulthood, Peter Pan once said: “All you need is faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust." I refuse to ever lose sight of that pixie dust.


*Exhibit A
**Exhibit B
***Did I mention my acne-inducing hormones?