Ask Baba Yaga: I Am a Practical Adult Who Can No Longer Feel Wonder

Dear Baba Yaga,

Growing up, the power of fantasy and fairy tales held such wonder for me. I was always an imaginative child. As I’ve grown up, I’ve sadly become more and more practical. When I was a child, my Granny (my hero) would tell me never to grow up. I miss that wonder and awe that fairy tales held. Any suggestions for gathering back the magic in life?

BABA YAGA:

Wonder;is always mixed in with Fear. ;No true fairy-tale is without danger.Now your life is all islands of fear with )dried-up ocean where the wonder used to be. But begin — with yr fears, & trust that they will bring you to water if you let them,. Tell yrself yr own fairy tale, the scary&wondrous story of yr life, and the magic will be with you again, casting its shadows, worrying you back into the heart of things.)

Previously: “I Feel Like I’m Underwater When I Try to Socialize”

Taisia Kitaiskaia is a poet, writer, and Michener Center for Writers fellow. She’s taking questions on behalf of Baba Yaga at [email protected].