I Just Want to Pretend

Dear Readers, 

As some of you may or may not know (or may or may not have guessed based on this blog) I spend a lot of time in my own head. I like to believe that my imagination is just as strong now as it was when I was a kid. Maybe even more so. 

Some time last year (January 28th, if we're being exact) I dedicated a post to the fact that often in my day-to-day life I see people who remind me of a fictional character, and for a split second I can believe that I'm part of that world.

via http://giphy.com/gifs/ok1tOvpe5yvy8

Yeah, sort of like that, but, you know, with less water and flipping and singing. 

Alright, sometimes with the same amount of singing. 

Spoiler: Totally more singing than that. 

That's not the point. The point is I have an over-active imagination. 

So I wanted to share with you an event that happened recently. I'll start by saying I feed my over-active imagination daily, this is a good practice and I really recommend that everyone let their mind run away with them at some point. 

Now, I know I uploaded a map of the campus last week, but for your convenience I'll do it again:

Via www.pdx.edu

Today's story takes place within that red square. Right there, as you can see, is a small patch of grass. People who live on or around campus who also have dogs often let their pets run around in that area. It's awesome for me because I miss being around dogs like, woah. Can you blame me after working around them for years?

Maybe you can. But you shouldn't. Anyway.

So I was strolling from Parking 3, where my car still was at the time. And I get close to the grassy area when I see a lovely looking older woman and her adorable small dog. I'm 85% sure it's some kind of terrier. It was black and white and in the most adorable little coat. 

So, anyhow, I'm walking and walking and suddenly I hear the quick "clickclickclick" of the dog following behind me. 

And for a brief second, I was Sophie being followed by Heen. 

via http://through3dcoloredglasses.tumblr.com/post/20851459838/heen-appreciation-post

For those of you who don't know, that's a clip from Howl's Moving Castle. For those of you who haven't seen it, I 100% recommend it.

I was content to be Sophie, especially in this scene, as she's an old woman and has a hard time with the stairs. I'm not an old woman, but this was after my graveyard shift, so I felt a bit old...

Anyway, Sophie is amazing. And that was all good. Until I realized that the (probably) lovely old woman behind me would then be the Witch of the Waste

via http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/HowlsMovingCastle

And that's not an identity I'd wish on anyone. 

So, I let that go. But I want to say Thank You, to the woman and her dog, for letting me imagine after a long day of work that, just for a second, that I was Sophie.