Playing Pretend

Remember when we were kids? Do you remember running around, laughing and playing without a care in the world? Everyone was friends, we could go anywhere we wanted and we could get lost in our imaginations forever. Do you remember the good old days? Of course that all had to come to an end, everything good does, but it's nice sometimes to take a break from our busy schedules and work, and school to just reminisce. When I was a kid I used to play so many games
There were the classics like tag, hide and seek, and even house, but what I enjoyed the most was playing pretend. It was amazing because there was just so much freedom.
That was the beauty part of it
I could do whatever I wanted, I could go anywhere in the whole entire universe and I could be whoever I wanted to be. It all just depended on my thoughts, cause there were no rules. I was left to my own devices,
I could be wild, crazy and fun. I was free. Those sure were the days,
being able to do whatever I wanted without ever having to worry about the bigger picture. All of that was taken care of for me and all I had to worry about was having a good time
And living life to the fullest. Maybe that's why little kids are so happy.
Maybe that's why grown-ups aren't.
Maybe if we all just shrugged of our responsibilities for a while and just took the time to relax, and play tag again or take a trip to the moon, or dig a hole to China, maybe we would all be a whole lot happier. The key to the happiness that a child has isn't something that you can buy. It's innocence. It's naivety, it's just not caring and just doing whatever the fuck you want. That's why they can be so happy. And why we can't.

Growing up is hard, leaving behind your childish ideals and being forced
to squeeze into one of the molds that society deems fit for you. No longer can you just laugh and run around without a care in the world.
You have work to do and problems to deal with. No longer can you play pretend.
Or so you would think...

The funny thing is, although we can not play tag, or hide and seek, or run free, playing pretend still remains. Everyday, everywhere, nobody is what they seem. We all have secrets, we all hide things, we all act a certain way and want to fit in. It's like an undercurrent of fear that runs through everyone's mind.
In some it's stronger than others, but the fact remains: We all want to fit in. But what exactly does fitting in entail? What are we trying to fit into? Every single person out there wants to look good and fit in with the people around them, but little do they know each and every person around them is thinking the same thing. It's as if we're living in constant fear and we all wear a mask each day. A happyface mask, if you will, that projects to the world:
"Yeah, everything's fine" But nothing is ever that simple anymore, as just being fine. Nothing can be. The world can be a cruel place and sometimes it just seems so dark, foreboding and hopeless that you just want to crawl into a hole and sleep forever, just blissful apathy.
But the universe isn't that kind.
Every day we all live, but what for?
What is the purpose to our existence
Other than: get up, eat, sleep, repeat? Torture is what it is
Being forced to conform, putting on our masks all the time to be someone who we're not. For nothing.
Missing those carefree and innocent childhood days of playing pretend yet?
I sure am.