I spent the last two weekends working at a Ren Faire. It's my second year for working at this particular faire, or any faire, for that matter. I love the time I spend there - I've always had friends in the Society for Creative Anachronisms, been to events, love the costuming and the characters, and since I was a drama major, it's another great opportunity for me to play make-believe.
But sometimes I let my imagination get the best of me. Oh, I'm not foolish enough to think any of that is real, or anything THAT crazy, but I do tend to find more comfort in allowing my imagination to wander about aimlessly in such a world. And of course, since I'm single, it's always fun to conjure up a pretty, muscular man to go with the natural beauty of the woods on a sunny day.
Well, it's kind of dumb.
By allowing myself to live in this little fantasy world, I miss a lot of real-world situations and clues. People think I'm dense or stupid - mostly, I'm just not paying a lot of attention to what's going on around me. I mean, seriously, I've lived through some pretty crappy stuff, so hiding inside my own mind was the best way for me to escape a lot of it. I've read sooo many books.....
So now I'm an adult with a sometimes-tenuous hold on reality. I'm sure I've missed some great opportunities for happiness because of my fear of leaving my comfy little world, and I know I've wasted time on imaginary situations. But after this weekend, even though I was eyeballs-deep in my favorite little fun-time fantasy land, it's become painfully obvious that I've got to get away from my own mind.
I can create my own reality, but it's probably going to be a lot better for me if my reality exists somewhere else besides inside my head.
