The First Crush
Over the weekend, Mr. Pink and I went exploring, and we came upon a quaint store filled with antiquities, called the Summer Cottage. It smelled musty, like decaying papers, rather like my grandmother's old back room. It was full of old lace, Bakelite buttons, blue willow china and vintage bed jackets. And then I came upon the Little Golden Books.
I loved Little Golden Books as a child. Right there, on the top of the pile, was one of my favorites. Peter Pan! Now, here is a little-known fact about me. My first crush was not on some boy in my kindergarten class or even a TV idol. No, my first crush was on a fictional character in literature...Peter Pan. Yes, I am a total geek.
When I was about 6 years old, my parents took us down to Los Angeles to visit relatives and to see a stage production of Peter Pan. I was entranced. That night, I laid awake on the Aquaman sheets on my cousin's bunk bed and waited and hoped that Peter Pan would appear at my window to take me away to Never-Never Land. He didn't, of course. And it wasn't until I was much older that I learned that Peter Pan was played by a girl.
Still, falling in love with Peter Pan was a seminal experience for me. I found myself falling for the same Peter Pan type over and over throughout the years...boys who refused to grow up, and who, in general, preferred to hang out with their Lost Boys rather than develop any sort of meaningful adult relationship. You can see how this would bring me a lot of heartache over the years. But eventually, I found a man with a sense of childhood fun that welcomed me into his Never Never-Land. And although sometimes I tire of reminding Mr. Pink over and over to do simple household chores or take on simple adult responsibilities, like paying the bills on time, I love him because like Peter, he brings delight with him. And he always makes me laugh.
I bought the Little Golden Book. I want to read it to my little girl someday. I may caution her against falling for characters in works of literature, however. But sometimes, wanting to be Wendy Darling, swept away to a magical place by a fun-loving imp--well, it isn't the worst thing in the world.
I loved Little Golden Books as a child. Right there, on the top of the pile, was one of my favorites. Peter Pan! Now, here is a little-known fact about me. My first crush was not on some boy in my kindergarten class or even a TV idol. No, my first crush was on a fictional character in literature...Peter Pan. Yes, I am a total geek.
When I was about 6 years old, my parents took us down to Los Angeles to visit relatives and to see a stage production of Peter Pan. I was entranced. That night, I laid awake on the Aquaman sheets on my cousin's bunk bed and waited and hoped that Peter Pan would appear at my window to take me away to Never-Never Land. He didn't, of course. And it wasn't until I was much older that I learned that Peter Pan was played by a girl.
Still, falling in love with Peter Pan was a seminal experience for me. I found myself falling for the same Peter Pan type over and over throughout the years...boys who refused to grow up, and who, in general, preferred to hang out with their Lost Boys rather than develop any sort of meaningful adult relationship. You can see how this would bring me a lot of heartache over the years. But eventually, I found a man with a sense of childhood fun that welcomed me into his Never Never-Land. And although sometimes I tire of reminding Mr. Pink over and over to do simple household chores or take on simple adult responsibilities, like paying the bills on time, I love him because like Peter, he brings delight with him. And he always makes me laugh.
I bought the Little Golden Book. I want to read it to my little girl someday. I may caution her against falling for characters in works of literature, however. But sometimes, wanting to be Wendy Darling, swept away to a magical place by a fun-loving imp--well, it isn't the worst thing in the world.
posted by Astera @ 4:56 PM
2 Comments:
At 10:54 PM,
Anonymous said…
Never ever counsel your daughter to suspend belief in Peter Pan for doing so can only lead to the harsh realities of adulthood which she will have a lifetime to realize and endure. Keep that twinkle in her bright eyes forever focused on that window.
At 10:25 PM,
Astera said…
Thanks for the compliment, Christinevb! I thought Robin Hood was pretty "foxy," too.
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