Living in Fantasyland Won't Get You Over The Mountain

Did you hear about the high school girl who went to prom with Tim Tebow?  Well, actually she went with a life-size cardboard cutout of him. Yes, that's right. Her dream, like so many girls, was that he would actually go to the dance with her but of course she never heard back from her letter of invitation.

So she finally decided she would go with him anyway - sort of.

And while you have to admire her determination and willingness to look a bit weird, she never really went with Mr. Tebow. It was still only a dream.

Often when people are facing challenges or dreams that don't work out they spend a lot of time dulling their pain living in a fantasy world. Some of those fantasies aren't that big of a deal, but many are at best unwise and some are at worst destructive.

The obvious painkillers are drugs, alcohol, and illicit sex, but there are many less socially unacceptable ones - work harder, control more, make more money, and the like. The additional problem is that when people take the route of just dulling their pain they become cardboard cutouts themselves and miss the blessings that will come when they live life again as real people.

Yes, sometimes taking hard steps is challenging but it's worth it. It may take time and your time to heal and move on can be different from other people's process. That's OK and normal.

Are you dulling your pain and living a cardboard, fantasy-filled life?  What are you missing out on?  And who is missing out on you? Chances are your family members are longing to have the real you back. So why not start today and come back as the authentic person you know you can be. Pain isn't always easy to face but it's a daily reminder that you're still alive!