Escapism

I’ve always been a person who wants to escape this world. When I was a child, my cousins and I would put on our Disney CDs and act out the parts to the song. For example, we would pretend to ride a canoe while lip-syncing to “Just Around the Riverbend.” One of us would have raccoon tail strapped to our waste, another would be flapping our “wings” around the boat, and another one of us would be draped with my grandmother’s sewing scraps. I had so much fun doing that.

In high school, my way to escape was through theater and band. Yes, I’m a geek. Music was a huge part of my life. Whenever we played new pieces in band, I would imagine a story to go along with it. Each crescendo was a hero riding into battle or a meeting of lovers. Each diminuendo was the ending of an epic story or a sweet love story. All the pieces we played were new worlds. Every time we played a piece, I could revel in the story.

I was always too afraid to be onstage in theater. I did audition once, and was cast as an understudy, but I decided to work behind the scenes. I worked as a props master. My way to escape the “real world” was through rehearsal and performance. Engrossed in the story, I didn’t have to think about my dull life.

As an adult, there are less viable ways to escape the realities of life. At times, I feel tired of everything around me. My yearning for a way to take a break from this world, I discovered, never left me, even after I “grew up.” I love fantastical things, otherworldly stories, magic, and anything that is far-removed from reality.

For those of you who feel like you could use a break from your mundane life, here are some things in which you may partake.