The fictional land that J.M. Barrie created in his timeless — much like Neverland itself — novel, Peter Pan, is a place of wonder, never-ending childhood, to the point of immortality, and endless fun.
It’s a place where a mischievous young boy brings three unsuspecting children — the Darlings, and invites them on adventure after adventure in a land full of pirates, fairies, Native Americans, and mermaids; not to mention the evil and despicable captain hook. There’s suspense and laughter as they learn the story of the boy who never grew up.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a Neverland; where we could escape on a daily, or in the case of the Darlings, nightly, basis? Peter Pan gives us an unreality. This unreality is in the name itself, “Neverland.” — The land of Never — but Never what?
Since the time I was a young boy, I lived very much in a Neverland of sorts. I always had such a wild imagination that at times, I even had a hard time distinguishing reality from my make-believe world. I have come to accept that my Neverland prepared me for my adult life in ways that I could have — well — never imagined as a young man.
Neverland is a land of — “Always Never!” — Most people would argue that those two words cannot be used in a sentence together unless it’s prefaced by “You might be a redneck if?” let alone as a descriptor of a situation or place.
Let’s take a look at the definitions of each word.
Never — At no time in the past or future; on no occasion; not ever.
Always — At all times; on all occasions.
By sheer definition they seem to contradict each other; however, if I put them into the right context they become complementary.
My life has been a constant struggle of trying to be good enough. In most cases, I have placed the blame for not being good enough on others. I have recently accepted all the blame for my actions and realized that not being good enough prepared me for life as an adult with a disability.
I have worked hard to overcome the stumbling blocks that this disorder has put in front of me and turn them into stepping stones on my path through life. I use all the clichés that everyone uses to motivate and inspire forward progression.
"Never give up.” “Never surrender.” “Never back down.” The list goes on and on but you get the idea. I have used these as statements, on an almost daily basis, to push myself through this disorder.
I have also used statements like:
There are parts that I will —“Never” be able to overcome.
There are things I will —“Never” be able to accept.
There are situations that I will —“Never” be able to change.
These “Nevers” I have to accept and move on to the “Nevers” that I can control and change. In My Neverland, I “Always, Never!” Using the prior definitions let put this whole kerfuffle of a description to use.
“At all times; and on all occasions; I will at no time in the past or future; on no occasion; not ever — Give Up!”
“At all times; and on all occasions; I will at no time in the past or future; on no occasion; not ever — Surrender!”
“At all times; and on all occasions; I will at no time in the past or future; on no occasion; not ever — Back Down!”
The land of Never is an infinite possibility of great and prosperous outcomes. I know that I have a lot to learn and overcome in this roller-coaster that I call life. However, the never-ending possibilities of, “Always Never Land” keeps me striving to move forever forward.
Until next time, “Second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning."
SP
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