Before you read, go ahead and take a seat.
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Take a deep breath.
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Clear your mind.
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Picture yourself where you are right now.
I, for one, am sitting on the carpet floor reflecting on the past week and a half.
The lights are off and I sit alone with my thoughts roaming in my head.
I, too, clear my mind and I imagine myself at the beach surrounded by endless miles of white sand, ocean water, and the fresh ocean breeze.
A door stands before me and without much hesitation my hand reaches for it.
The door opens.
I walk through it, and now I am swimming inside my head.
I escaped reality and left behind all that has not been said.
I, as you should too, have forgotten: the bills due this month, conflicts with family members or friends, constant battle with depression and anxiety, forced needs for interaction, morning struggles to get out of bed, and the obligations that my mind and body just do not have the will to undertake.
I am now standing on the other side of the door and quickly my instinct tells me to close the door shut behind me. I turn back around and find myself standing alone surrounded by the ocean breeze. My imagination lets loose and I begin to create my own fantasy world. A fantasy created not to escape reality forever, but to be able to stay in it. As I walk, my creation changes step by step reflecting what I would like my reality to be.
For me, it would be a world without adversity and setbacks. No tragedies or disasters.
A free and peaceful world in which the human race can accept each other’s differences.
A world in which we look after our planet and fight for it at all cost. I want a world in which no hurricane or massive destruction can put off the burning fire inside us. I will stand right back up after each fall stronger than the last. My fire will remain lit and be passed down for eternity.
I will ride the wave and meet others along the way. Together we will ride the wave and build an arc for those in need. Sooner or later our reality will hit us and all we will have is each other to lean on. When we least expect it, reality will kick in and the wind will come rushing in. The door I left behind will crack open and swallow me back in. There and then will I recognize that fantasy is hardly an escape from reality, but rather a way of understanding it.
Writing and photos by: Joel Lara