One of my favorite stories as a child was always Peter Pan. There just seemed something alluring about the idea that you could stay a kid forever—no responsibilities and you don’t have to make hard decisions.

As I got older, that story became just that—a story. But on my last journey home, I was cleaning out my bedroom and found my copy of Peter Pan. Flipping through the pages, I remembered why it was so special. It helped me fall in love with reading. It gave me a sense of imagination and wonderment.

Everyday we get caught up in the responsibilities of the “adult world,” the “real world.”

We become engulfed in waves of tasks, odd jobs and hard work. We never get a moment to just take a step back and think. It’s almost like trying to breathe underwater.

But looking at that weathered copy of the boy who never grew up, it dawned on me that it’s not the worst thing in the world to hold onto a bit of childish imagination, a bit of wonder—especially now.

The whole world is changing. The landscape has become fruitful for innovation and now is the time. As soon as you graduate you will be looking at an entirely new set of jobs and careers than your parents could have even dreamed of.

All possible through imagination, wonder and excitement.  People who created these innovated advances were genuinely excited. They loved what they were doing and did it to the best of their ability.

Too often now we worry about getting out of college and finding a job. Not just the dream job, but any job will do at this point. And that’s not OK. We should be striving to find the job that means the most to us—that fills us with excitement.

Amazing as it is that children have the capacity to stretch their imagination and know what they want out of the world, it is something we lose along the way.

Don’t be restrained by the confines of what you are expected or believe you need to do. Instead, move beyond those chains and into something that you wake up being genuinely excited for.

It’s really all about not getting bogged down in the details of life and instead looking ahead.

Have a bit of imagination and wonder when it comes to your future. It worked pretty well for your past.

Bob Galuski is a senior English major. He can be reached at 581-7912 or denopinions@gmail.com