Rainbow Dash
Good evening! It is currently 8:36 p.m eastern time here in Niagara, Ontario and my legs are dead. Today I spent the whole day walking around with my family, from the moistness of Niagara Falls to the dry, gloomy weather at an outlet we went to nearby. While we were walking back to our car from the Falls, I struck up a conversation with my 5 year old sister, Maya. She was holding her unicorn toy and was dancing around with absolutely no care in the world. This sight, along with the path we were walking on that was overlooked by beautifully cut trees presented a sense of serenity and peace.
"Hi Maya!"
"Kuya!"
"Who's that?"
"This is my Unicorn friend!"
"Aw. Is that your favourite toy?"
"Yes!"
"What's your favourite animal?"
"Unicorns! Because they are so pretty and colourful!"
I can't really explain it thoroughly or find a reason for it but I found myself emotional and smiling like a fool. Here I am, a 17 year old boy talking to his 5 year old sister obsessing over her love of unicorns. Something that I know isn't real and doesn't exist in this world but still exists in the mind of Maya. I'm probably just gassing this experience up but trust me when I tell you, I genuinely had to take a moment and gather myself. When was the last time I carried a heart like a child? What about the last time I opened up my imagination and allowed myself to be completely open to everything?
A unicorn is a mythical creature said to have skin as white as snow and a mane of splendid, exotic colours. With a horn that was said to cure any sickness or disease. Basically, it's a fairytale. But the simple image of the animal is surely enough to invoke feelings of joy, fascination and admiration. How can such a beautiful and magnificent creature exist in such a seemingly dull and unforgiving world? Unicorns don't exist but a terrifying world surely does and this life that we live in (as we know it) is no fairytale. No one has a perfect path to greatness or ultimate, lasting peace; everyone in one way or another, struggles. The days of pretending to be bold heroes and chivalrous knights has long passed.
I just hope that as Maya grows and experiences more, she continues to love unicorns and read her fairytales all the same. Because it has gifted her, at such a young age, a heart of purity and genuine kindness. I hope that the world does not harden her heart but rather expands it in love, in order to spread it to everyone she meets and encounters. A kind princess in a grim kingdom filled with thieves and robbers eager to steal the joy she holds in her heart.
But she has her unicorn. An invisible, loyal companion who will stay by her side as she grows and goes about her time in this world. Something she can turn to when she feels the hatred and rage creeping up from behind. Something that we cannot see but feel - in the depths of her eyes, the softness of her voice and innocence behind her laugh. Maya is only 5 years old.
I am 17 and I can truthfully say that this world I live in can be tremendously monotone and desolate. But when I talk to my baby sister about her love for unicorns and the world she lives in, colour begins to fill itself in between the lines of my life. When you talk to children, it is amazing to witness the purity and freshness that they so easily radiate. It is as if the sun doesn't even know it is shining!
A black and white world brings an outpouring of rain, striking our glass hearts and reflecting endless rainbows.
Let's not forget that even though we will never get a storybook ending, that doesn't mean our lives can't be filled with wonderful adventures and incredible people. Kings and queens, knights and ladies, they are all around us. Too many people lose their childhood immediately after they encounter a dragon they struggle to beat, or a mountain they seemingly can't climb. To be completely honest with you, life loves to play pranks and make us mad. Instead of getting angry, laugh! Instead of sporting a frown, bring with you a smile! Our lives aren't meant to be fairytales. Our homes aren't towering majestic castles. We rarely end up with the dashing prince charming or the breathtaking damsel.
But we are the heroes of our own story.
Take courage, be not afraid; the world is calling us to live.
To live out our unique, incredible stories.
And the world will never be the same because of it.
(Try and find a unicorn along the way too)
"Hi Maya!"
"Kuya!"
"Who's that?"
"This is my Unicorn friend!"
"Aw. Is that your favourite toy?"
"Yes!"
"What's your favourite animal?"
"Unicorns! Because they are so pretty and colourful!"
I can't really explain it thoroughly or find a reason for it but I found myself emotional and smiling like a fool. Here I am, a 17 year old boy talking to his 5 year old sister obsessing over her love of unicorns. Something that I know isn't real and doesn't exist in this world but still exists in the mind of Maya. I'm probably just gassing this experience up but trust me when I tell you, I genuinely had to take a moment and gather myself. When was the last time I carried a heart like a child? What about the last time I opened up my imagination and allowed myself to be completely open to everything?
A unicorn is a mythical creature said to have skin as white as snow and a mane of splendid, exotic colours. With a horn that was said to cure any sickness or disease. Basically, it's a fairytale. But the simple image of the animal is surely enough to invoke feelings of joy, fascination and admiration. How can such a beautiful and magnificent creature exist in such a seemingly dull and unforgiving world? Unicorns don't exist but a terrifying world surely does and this life that we live in (as we know it) is no fairytale. No one has a perfect path to greatness or ultimate, lasting peace; everyone in one way or another, struggles. The days of pretending to be bold heroes and chivalrous knights has long passed.I just hope that as Maya grows and experiences more, she continues to love unicorns and read her fairytales all the same. Because it has gifted her, at such a young age, a heart of purity and genuine kindness. I hope that the world does not harden her heart but rather expands it in love, in order to spread it to everyone she meets and encounters. A kind princess in a grim kingdom filled with thieves and robbers eager to steal the joy she holds in her heart.
But she has her unicorn. An invisible, loyal companion who will stay by her side as she grows and goes about her time in this world. Something she can turn to when she feels the hatred and rage creeping up from behind. Something that we cannot see but feel - in the depths of her eyes, the softness of her voice and innocence behind her laugh. Maya is only 5 years old.
I am 17 and I can truthfully say that this world I live in can be tremendously monotone and desolate. But when I talk to my baby sister about her love for unicorns and the world she lives in, colour begins to fill itself in between the lines of my life. When you talk to children, it is amazing to witness the purity and freshness that they so easily radiate. It is as if the sun doesn't even know it is shining!A black and white world brings an outpouring of rain, striking our glass hearts and reflecting endless rainbows.
Let's not forget that even though we will never get a storybook ending, that doesn't mean our lives can't be filled with wonderful adventures and incredible people. Kings and queens, knights and ladies, they are all around us. Too many people lose their childhood immediately after they encounter a dragon they struggle to beat, or a mountain they seemingly can't climb. To be completely honest with you, life loves to play pranks and make us mad. Instead of getting angry, laugh! Instead of sporting a frown, bring with you a smile! Our lives aren't meant to be fairytales. Our homes aren't towering majestic castles. We rarely end up with the dashing prince charming or the breathtaking damsel.
But we are the heroes of our own story.
Take courage, be not afraid; the world is calling us to live.
To live out our unique, incredible stories.
And the world will never be the same because of it.
(Try and find a unicorn along the way too)
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