Cross Cultural Make Belief
A gorgeous view (in the distance the Mediterranean Sea) in the mountains of Lebanon. One of our 4 sons had a make belief world when he was a little boy. This world was named Townasia and was filled with wonder, joy, and adventure. In Townasia , friends and animals were delightful companions and accompanied this little boy in his tree forts and tromps throughout our property. Mysteriously, I didn’t quite know how to navigate his escape world, especially when everything in Townasia was “perfect” compared to real life that was not always so delightful or magical. I remember, repeatedly gently re-orienting him to real life and the joy that could be found here in this world despite its imperfections. Eventually, Townasia disappeared from little boy chatter and was replaced with realistic playing, companions and less escaping. Recently I have begun to ponder Townasia more. Transparently, I recognize that I have for all my years of living overseas (and perhaps longer) escaped to my