Isn’t this life supposed to be something other than it is?
Do you remember when you first had such a thought? When the world around you didn’t match the world you had hoped for? Perhaps it was your first school dance and it was boring. Or your first real job and you realized that work is just work. Or when you realized that our political leaders don’t really care about leading, but only about gaining and maintaining power. At one time or another, we have all felt this dismay and had to swallow the invisible disappointment.
I am not interested in the disappointment. I am interested in the youthful innocence that is surprised by the way the world is. I love this part of us.
There is a song by the Dave Matthews Band called You Never Know:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcXkI0CbL-g&feature=kp
It has a line that I love. It reminds me of the little boy that could believe that anything is possible.
So much space to believe
Funny when we are small
The moon follows the car
Does no one but you see
Hey, the moon is chasing me
Did you ever have that happen? Driving late at night in the backseat, watching the moon appear and disappear and then reappear. There was no way it wasn’t moving with me. There was no way that it wasn’t following the car. I also remember keeping the game to myself. I knew not to ask how it was possible. I knew that my father’s explanation would ruin my secret.
The part of us that believes, that imagines and creates. The part of us that is innocent to possibilities. This part is a vital item in our mystery bags.
The sensation of innocence is transcendent, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t change. As a child, the sensation is tender and fragile and unconscious. As an adult, it drives down the road, watches the moon and smiles