Peter Pan and Happy Thoughts~

Tender Shepherd, Tender Shepherd 

Let me help you count your sheep

One in the Meadow

Two in the Garden

Three in the Nursery 

Fast Asleep

Tender Shepherd, Tender Shepherd
Watches over all his sheep
One- say your prayers
And two- close your eyes
And three- safe and happily
Fall Asleep

StoryBook Club dreamed of Peter Pan and we had many Happy Thoughts last night.....

Here is our lovely "Never Land" table setting!

 A blue table cloth (water) and 3 land masses...
Starting on the Left: The Indian Village (with burning candle camp fire).
Center: The Pirate ship (my pirate hat with Capt. Hook/Cutlass/Shackles/"The Colors" flying and with a ratty on board too!
Right: "2nd Star on the right and straight on till morning" is the Land of the Lost Boys. With a long house for the boys and a "House for Wendy". I even had the luck to actually "find" a Lost Boy doll in the road the day before. (He looked like Rufio! :)
There was a broken clock and also crocodiles did abound!

Fabulous FUN Food for the evening included:
"Pockets to fill" (Pita pockets), "Clouds" (meringue), "Peter Pan Peanut Butter Cookies" (with a crocodile to "guard them" :), BANGARANG!! (Chocolate meringue pie), "Horseradish Bombs" (definitely a Pirate food with a kick of gun powder), "Crocodile Toes (Dolmades), "Blue Go Go Juice" (Blue Tequila Margaritas...gave us a blue tongue like a kid :) and Merlyn's "Sloppy Joes with Mandatory School Cafeteria Marm Coleslaw".

Intelligent, thoughtful and randy conversations did follow Peter Pan, just like a feisty Tinkerbell.
PETER PAN, by J.M. Barrie is a classic tale that has stood the test of time. Written for children, but yet, there are so many themes within it that are still relevant today.

The boy that wouldn't grow up, who still needs companionship and nurturing. There is that place within each and everyone of us that is an Orphan. Either by life's dealings, or by the growing away from our parents or their absence in our emotional lives, we have all felt orphaned somehow....haven't we?

So we bond with our mates, our friends, we "play house" with our boyfriends/girlfriends and life is a lark. Sometimes we are the Pirates....and sometimes we fight against our "Inner Pirate". Sometimes we are afraid of our wild earthy "Indian" nature and sometimes we befriend it and smoke a peace pipe with that part of ourselves...

Our discussion of the story took many turns and twists, jumping from one starry subject to another. Childhood memories of fun and imaginary friends came to the surface. Days of freedom mixed with imagination.

Victorian rules for women of society of that day and age were played out within the context of the female characters in this story.  The female characters: Mrs. Darling/Wendy/Tiger Lily/Liza/Mermaids/Tinkerbell are all aspects of female nature and personality.

Mrs. Darling- Dutiful Matriarch of the Home
Wendy- The Good Daughter. So grown up already and responsible
Tiger Lily- The one that needed rescuing...and yet, was able to rescue her own self
Liza- The young girl (child labor) that was chained to housework drudgery
Mermaids- Free, Wild...yet only 1/2 woman....1/2 unfeeling fish
Tinkerbell- Rowdy, untamed emotional bitch (check out the real story...not Disney :)

Pirates~ Notably Captain Hook is the "Grown up" in this story...yet both he, and Mr. Darling are haunted by insecurities and feel death approach with every passing day. Death stalks them like the crocodile and time does not stand still.

Also interesting is the Mr. Darling IS like Peter Pan and needs Mrs. Darling to be his "Mother" as well....

The Lost Boys- who ran away...but still wanted a mother. Those boy children who want both freedom and rules...yet only on their terms. They secretly want a home and to be loved and wanted more than anything, but will rarely give up their freedom to get it. Only when they "grow up" and "give up" some aspects of their freedom, do they attain what they really desire.

Peter Pan....well, led me to "The Peter Pan Complex" in my reading.  There are men in this world who resemble Peter Pan. I know I've personally dated several. Married two of them. Damn near handfasted with a third. They are fun and you love them....but something in them, can't commit...or if they do so, they generally have their own agenda. Not generally yours.  Even so....I love them. Totally. And keep finding them like stray abandoned children on my doorstep.

Why?

2 Reasons:

One~ Peter Pan IS fun. He is the joy of life! He is happiness and drama and comedy! He is spontaneity!

Two~ He needs a Mother. I am a nurturer.

This is a SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP of massive proportion.

Which brought me straight up to the fact that I....
am...
a...
WENDY.

Yes, this is a fact that slapped me HARD on the face.

I am Wendy. 

Mothering, nurturing, coddling, protective, fix your pocket, cook your dinner, do your laundry, accept your excuses, good old WENDY.
I feel the need to fix...to help...to mend....to help Peter Pan to be the best he can be.

WHY?

Because I need a mother too. But that is not possible anymore. She did the best she could. And now, she is gone. But there is still a deep need within me to be loved and appreciated ...and noticed...by my mother.

So, instead....I AM YOUR MOTHER.

This epiphany made me prick myself with the needle of truth and it made me drop the mending in my lap.

I CANNOT BLAME PETER PAN for BEING PETER PAN....When I ENCOURAGE PETER PAN to keep being that way and accepting his way of being! By me covering for Peter, fixing up things nice for him, and doing his mending...I participate in this circular story.

NO....I need fairy dust of MY OWN.

Instead of fulfilling someone else's dreams...I need to find my own Happy Thought.

I've had so many.
Some of my Happy Thoughts don't make me fly anymore.

I'm jaded. I've flown with them so much, that they've run out of Pixie Dust steam....

I need a new HAPPY THOUGHT.

Not Wendy's happy thought. Hers was to have a home and to spring clean for Peter.

I've done that one. Lots and Lots and Lots. My real life spring cleaning never ends.....it is not a Happy Thought to me anymore. "I'm OLD Peter. So much older than 7..."

But I will endeavor to find a new Happy Thought.

Until that time, I wish for you to find all your marbles.

Toodles and I are still looking for ours..........

In the meantime...until I finally discover my next Happy Thought....
I will content myself with dressing up little doggies in dresses.

This picture below is "Pixie". She is Christine's doggy who came to the party. I thought she needed a party dress. I ADORE dressing up dogs and cats in clothes for fun....always have...always will.
Dressing this doggie, to the delight of my own self and to the howls of my guests was...

TRULY THE MOST FUN I've had in ages...and ages...

Indeed, I have not grown up ....and am still a LOST GIRL.

Next Month:
We were led by Peter Pan to HIS favorite story.....


CINDERELLA

Stayed tuned as StoryBook Club conjures up the ins and outs of this story.


But more importantly....

Whatever shall I wear????