Reality: Reality's World

Why do we always have to live in reality?" Reality asked her mother. "Why can't we live in a fantasy world like Fantasy does?"

Reality's mother was stunned.

"Our whole world is reality. We cannot all be the same, live the same way, or even have the same things," she said, smiling at her young daughter. "We are all different. Thank goodness for that!"

"But Fantasy and her family have all the fun. We never have any fun." Reality continued. She was not about to give up. "I don't understand. Please, mom, can we just live in a fantasy world for a little while, so that I can get understand my friend Fantasy, better?"

"Go in the kitchen and do the dishes, Reality. It is your turn tonight. When you are done, I want you to go and do your homework. Make sure that you have everything ready for school in the morning, too. Now!" her mother said, very firmly.

"I hate my reality world; I want to live in Fantasy's world. She never has to do dishes or homework, or even get ready for school. In her world, there are no dishes; there is no school or schoolwork, either. Fantasy can do anything that she wants to do! That is the way life should be for children. Her mother said so!"

She started to cry.

"This is reality, not fantasy," insisted her mother, gently. "You need to know the difference for your own good. Now go and do as you are told, right now!"

So, Reality went into the kitchen and began to do the dishes, with her mother's help. "I know that our world seems hard to you," she said, after a moment. "No one really likes just reality all of the time."

"I am tired of reality," replied Reality. "Can we do some fantasy stuff sometime?"

"That is against our very nature," suggested her mother, looking at her daughter very seriously. "Our parents did not do that, or their parents either. They would be horrified at what you are suggesting. We should do what they taught us, shouldn't we?"

"Sure, but didn't they ever play in a fantasy world?" asked Reality, out of curiosity. "They must have been really bored, having to deal with reality all of the time. Don't you think that they wanted to get out of reality once in a while?"

"We really cannot have it both ways," her mother replied. "Either we live a world of reality, or we live in a world of fantasy. We cannot live in both, at the same time. We live in one world, or the other."

"But I like to play! Can't we live in reality some of the time, and then in fantasy the rest of the time? Why does it have to be so black and white?" Reality was beginning to wonder if her mother would ever give in. It sure did not sound like it. "Playing in a fantasy world would be so much fun!"

"That is like saying that you want to live at the north-pole and at the south-pole, or that you want to live at the north-pole part of the time and at the south-pole the rest of the time. Do you realize that these are worlds apart?" Her mother knew that Reality was very stubborn and was not about to settle for any compromise between the two worlds. "Do you think that Fantasy would like to trade places with you for a day?"

"I don't know! I would love to do that!" Reality said excitedly. "I will ask her. May I, please?"

"You may, but just remember that I really do not want you to do that," Reality's mother insisted. "The reason that I don't want you to go and trade places with Fantasy is because you just might get stranded, or stuck in a fantasy world, like Fantasy did and never come back to our reality world."

"I won't do that," promised Reality, as she headed out the door. "I will be back with Fantasy."

Her mother just shook her head sadly. She knew that the road that her daughter had chosen was against her better judgment.