I celebrated my 24th birthday this weekend. I can't quite wrap my head around 24 years of life & don't have words yet (I just seem to cry a lot because I have such a hard time with time passing and growing up and everyone getting older). So I decided to make a happy list.
Peter Pan is one of my favorite stories ever written. J.M. Barrie is brilliant. And I absolutely love children's literature. The book, the Disney movie, all the stories inspired by Peter Pan, illustrations; I love it all.
24 reasons I love Peter Pan:
1. The "never grow up" concept. Childhood in general.
2. London. The Bloomsbury neighborhood is a DREAM.
3. A whole world in a star, in the sky?! LOVE.
4. The Darling children's, Peter's, & the lost boys' love of stories
5. The beginning of the story takes place during nighttime, my favorite time.
6. FLYING. I want to fly (not in a plane) so badly!
7. Living in a tree/ a whole tree house underground.
8. The sense of adventure and exploration and play.
9. All the sections of Neverland (mermaids, Indians, pirates). They're so timeless and classic in storytelling.
10. Fairies!
11. Michael Darling in the Disney movie is the cutest child. Ever.
12. Tiger Lily is so great. And her name is even better.
13. The Lost Boys. The concept of lost/abandoned children finding a home.
14. The map of Neverland. I love maps. And I love Neverland.
15. Peter Pan & Tinkerbell's partnership. And Peter & Wendy's friendship.
16. The need for a mother's love.
17. “So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned."
18. “To live will be an awfully big adventure.”
19. "I'm youth, I'm joy," Peter answered at a venture, "I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg.”
20. “I suppose it's like the ticking crocodile, isn't it? Time is chasing after all of us.”
21. “You just think lovely wonderful thoughts," Peter explained, "and they lift you up in the air.”
22. “Would you like an adventure now," he said casually to John, "or would you like to have your tea first?”
23. “On these magic shores children at play are for ever beaching their coracles. We too have been there; we can still hear the sound of the surf, though we shall land no more.”
24. The overall scenery and aesthetic and imagination and fantasy. It's all my dream world. Neverland is the place my mind drifts to escape from real life.
xo, Michelle
P.S. A reminder that I have a rather new print for sale in my Etsy shop: Wanderlust :)
I came across this quote some time ago & wanted to write it because it felt so true for me.