In Celebration of Peter Pans.
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Begrudingly, we celebrate.
Yes, we know how to party, especially up North, where we are more relaxed with ourselves. For I have witnessed the gaping difference in having a good time, having had valuable cross-experience of living in both cultures of the north and the south of England. At Christmastime, Dean Street and Portland Street in Manchester are flooded, with festive party-revelers. It surely becomes the party capital of the country.
Remembering the throngs of 20-something Geordies outside a nightclub, roaring with laughter and larking about on a June evening. This level of fun is most definitely toned down in the south!
Then there is the main fictional character, Peter Pan, from J.M. Barrie’s play and book, which spawned an emblematic symbol: a free-spirited boy who loves adventure and never grows up! Any self-aware individual who has entered the dating world will know this loaded question: “What is your type?” It is highly placed, as a matchmaking tool, on the manifesto board for choosing a potential partner.
Well, my dating types are Peter Pans. Maybe, to us, self-professed Renaissance women, the appearance of a Peter Pan in our lives stimulates and tips over our creativity. For they are certainly worth celebrating!
This man seems to exude the spunk that children have in abundance. You can trace their atypical traits back to boyhood. Elements of their youth have remained and consequently, they are delightfully exciting and interesting to be around.
It is probably because I am, sometimes, too stiff and need to relax more than their twinkling nonchalance is picked up by willing antennae. My youth was time-limited, excruciating and best explored in another format.
I have seen what you may have also seen. Dead inside, sold-out guys who seem to have had life sucked out of them. They parade around with their finery, thinking that can attract with their wealth, yet cannot see the unseen adventure, passion that is for the taking in this lifetime! And their stories, which I need, are, well, dull and tame. But then again, I am not perfect enough for them.
In contrast, the guy I seek danced in the Apollo, Hammersmith in his youth, catching the attention of onlookers; recorded a reel with a top BBC DJ because his voice was rich and chocolaty; went to NYC at 19 years old because this was the birthright of his passion, Graf, and eventually became a member of a sought-after crew there; wandered around disused and abandoned warehouses to photograph the daring graffiti inside; dismantled bikes and reconstructed them, so now he is a legend in his field of mechanics and has gigs at top cycling events because he can effortlessly fix these bikes; inspired and nurtured a Saturday boy, who is now working for a cool bike company in Bristol. These are worthy prowesses to me.
Their magic rubs off on me and I am not just a Tinkerbell: air-headed and limited. They add to my being, and I have been told, ultimately I educate them.
It may not be very British to celebrate people for fear of creating a big head! But these Peter Pan traits of authenticity are valued by me and looks good on them. The immaturity and escapism that are all too often associated with this youthful label has been excessively exaggerated over the years. All of us are flawed, Renaissance women too.
In life, like fiction, there is always another sub-plot being worked on by something omniscient, ready to emerge. I will continue to champion Peter Pans until my real one comes home!
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Keri France is a sensitive and strong soul, who believes in the power of creativity for personal growth. If you sometimes feel you have been on the brink of success, despair, sadness, Keri has been there too. She believes in creating opportunities for herself, being enriched by experiences, and writing down her thoughts on what she has learned in the process. With a voice-over demo, collection of her own artwork, and now writing, she knows a good life is a creative life.
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