Puff the Magic Dragon

Here I am working the 4am-8am shift again with plenty of time to do all my homework. I prefer to do this instead as it's much more fun. Plus I have something on my mind that might be entertaining to write about just to see what kind of word vomit I can produce.

Yesterday in one of my classes we analyzed a few songs, one of which was "Puff the Magic Dragon," by Peter Paul and Mary. I've always been a fan of the song, but I guess I never really thought about the message of its lyrics. I just assumed it was like any other piece from that time period, involving some sort of revolutionary message, which it very well could be, but when we listened to it yesterday and discussed it, I discovered a new message that very well could impact the way I go about living my life. First impression to many is that this song is meant for children. In some cases it is. There is an animated video that goes with the song, insinuating the song is a children's song. Then you have the other context where it is intended for adults.

Here's the link to the song :)

The song is about what I assume to be a young girl named Jackie who has an imaginary friend, Puff the magic dragon. Do you remember when you were young and you had that imaginary friend and the world was completely within your grasp. You could do anything! Nothing seemed sad or gave you reason to think negatively towards the world. When we were kids we didn't have a care in the world. That time was so beautiful and I miss being so carefree. This song is written more from the perspective of Jackie's imaginary friend. Once Jackie grew up, Puff became lonely because Jackie no longer wanted to play.

Do you remember when you began to lose interest in your imaginary friend? The world started to become more real for you and at times smiling and laughing were not what you wanted to do because your life just seemed to turn to hell sometimes. That optimism and constant happiness became tainted by death, money, work, relationships, and other things that people seem to think determine happiness nowadays. There is no reason that adults cannot still have an imaginary friend. We put ourselves through hell because reality makes us feel as if the world is out to get us. What a skewed perception we possess. Yes, things go wrong and life does not always work out the way we want it to, but we can still attain happiness by just doing our best to remain optimistic.

I challenge you to think back to your childhood and reunite yourself with that imaginary friend as cheesy as that definitely sounds. Even though an imaginary friend may be imaginary, it represents something that in this day in age is important to have-the thought in the back of your head that things will be okay despite disappointment; life is not out to get you. We can determine our happiness by just changing our approach to reality. The following quote could not be more real for this situation.

"Life is what you make it. Always has been, always will be."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

If that child-like happiness is so beautiful, then why not attain it in your adulthood. You determined your happiness when you were a child because you did not let yourself become incredibly inundated with negative things. Why not try that same approach now? Give it a shot, you may surprise the hell out of yourself.

Early Morning Shift

So here I am sitting at the front desk of my residence hall working the 4am-8am shift. One word-Hilarious. Actually no, two words-ridiculously hilarious. I guess usually I'm in bed by the time all the unbelievably inebriated residents make their way back into their 12' x 10' "home" after hitting up the bars. I can't say I've never done the same thing, but man I sure hope I haven't ever looked like some of the people I saw tonight. It made me think a little deeper into how alcohol determines the first impression some people have on me. I meet plenty of new people whenever I go out, but do they really meet me? Or do they just meet some girl with messed up hair and makeup beginning to wear off from the blistery cold wind causing my eyes to water. I sure hope not. But yes, I'm a college student, I have my nights I suppose, but wow, is that how people see me? I'm a christian, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a student, a musician, a writer, and I hope a genuinely unique individual. When I go out to "have fun," do people see me for who I really am? I'm beginning to think not after observing the post drama of a night downtown from behind the front desk of a predominantly first-year residence hall. One girl in particular came up to me crying because her roommate had chain locked the door and was passed out on the futon, therefore unable to wake up and open the door. She had no idea what to do. She had makeup smeared under her eyes, her hair was a mess from walking a about a mile from the bars in the steady rain. Not to mention, she was not appropriately dressed for the Iowa winter weather (along with most every other girl). What's the point in walking downtown in a short dress in heels? Ever heard of frostbite ladies? Anyways, so I'm sitting behind the desk looking at her with tears engulfing her eyes wondering what I could possibly do to help this drunk, yet somehow so innocent girl find a place to crash for the little bit of the night that was actually left. I had no ideas. I began to wonder if she had any idea what she looked like at that moment. To be quite honest, she looked like someone had thrown her on a roller coaster against her will and made her repeat the upside down loop, which on the first round is quite exhilarating, but once you've had your fix, you've had your fix. This young woman had been thrown on that loop one too many times from the looks of it. I'm sure she's a great person, I don't judge her for her current appearance. But damn honey, who are you and what have you done with yourself? As I sat there trying to assure her something would work out if she calmed down and thought about a better way to assess the situation. I began to picture myself in her shoes. First of all, hopefully I would not be that intoxicated at 7 o'clock in the morning. But more importantly would I even be thinking while in that state of mind that I am a daughter, a sister, a friend, a musician, a writer, etc? Would the things that are so dear to my heart still be dear to my heart in that moment in time? Yes ultimately they would, but would I be portraying that importance to those who did not know me? It looks as though I may have a new goal on my hands...

New Specs

I spent literally two and a half hours this morning trying to pick out a new pair of glasses. I've worn the same frames for over two years now and it's time to adopt a "new look!" So I'm walking around McDonald's Optical, in pursuit of the perfect frames. I had hundreds of options. I kept thinking to myself, how do I want people to view me for the next few years? I find it absolutely insane to think that your frames determine a part of your identity, but that's exactly what was going through my mind. Do I want wire frames? Metal, Titanium, or plastic frames? Wide lenses, narrow lenses? Do I want to look prestigious or more fun? Black=boring, red=daring, blue=passive maybe? What about the design? So many frames had beautiful designs, but what if that draws too much attention to the volcano pimple potentially screaming for attention on my forehead? It may seem insignificant, but people do notice eyewear! So I wanted my new pair to give off the perfect vibe. The woman assisting me was obviously getting irritated at the length of time I stared at myself in the mirror observing the glasses I was interested in for that moment in time. Does this pair make me look older? The woman was very very pregnant, and the last thing she probably cared about was if my new pair of glasses made me look older. I was in search of the perfect identity. I wanted to look older than my age, I wanted to look fun, yet still professional, and I wanted people to notice my new look. I realized what I had to do. In order to achieve this goal, I had to leave my comfort zone. My new pair of glasses had to be ones that I would never have previously been attracted to. Jackpot. Orange, metal frame, somewhat narrow, with an indescribable design on the sides. A friend informed me this pair would be perfect for any occasion. It was set. My new glasses have motivated me. From now on I'm going to make little decisions with a little more gut. I'm going to live outside of my comfort zone and see where it takes me. Who knew a pair of glasses could change the way you confidently approach every day life. I certainly did not, but I'm going to open up and start over. My new pair of funky glasses are going to be right there with me :)