"Those who in youth and childhood wander alone in woods and wild places, ever after carry in their hearts a secret well of quietness."  W.B. Yeats

The powers that be, I believe, are conspiring to remind me that I am taking myself too seriously these days.They are putting little hints in my path….little bits of words here and there…so I will get the message. Lighten up. Play more.Remember the joys of your childhood.It seems no matter what I pick up to read, there is some overt message about letting go of the seriousness of life and finding ,what in fairy tales, is often referred to by Caitlin Matthews as the "well at world’s end." It is the place that one comes to after searching,working, being tricked by this creature or another until we arrive by drawing on our deep instinct, finally drinking from the pure waters. Refreshed.

I am reminded of the times that I have observed my children or other’s playing. The freedom they moved with from swing to swing, from wall to tree, running, jumping, full of the freedom of sheer play. Imagination took them from superhero to warrior, from circus performer to animal, endlessly moving from one playful moment to the next. There was never the sense that anything was impossible to become. I want to remember how to be that way.

A few months ago, I talked with a mother whose son ran up and down our church hallways. Jeans and teeshirt were accessorized by,what else? A cape. As this young child moved through his play he was both boy and so much more. Who knew when he might be called upon to save the world? As the mom and I talked,I told her how I’d like to keep a cape in my office. On days when I felt I needed a little ‘something more’ to get the job done, I’d wear my cape.I’d put it on and walk about the office, solving this problem and the next with the toss of my cape.My office friends would see me coming and breathe a sigh of relief. I could also keep it in a special place, easily accessible, for my colleagues to borrow when they, too, needed a little more power to deal with what needed to be done.

Those tricks of our childhood run deep within us and are told over and over again in the stories we cherish and tell our children, our grandchildren. Dragons can be slain, trolls that hide under bridges cannot harm us because we know the secret word,nourishing wells can be found at the end of a dangerous journey, a journey we have used our wits and courage to complete. Stories of heroes and heroines, stories of hope and triumph, stories that hold happy endings.

Now all I need is a really cool cape……………..