Dreamers vs. Pesamists

In my book Tangled by Carolyn Mackler, there are four different characters with their own stories which intertwine. I wanted to talk about Jena- who lives in Topeka, New York. Jena is a hyper but smart girl who longs to experience love. She dreams so much about it and collects tiny bits of other people's exciting lives. The first thing I noticed about Jena was how she always thought about one boy at her school. She dreamed of her future with him.

There is nothing wrong with dreaming. The only problem is dreaming too much. Everyone needs to have dreams of what they plan to do, but they also need to know when their heads are too far into the clouds. Jena is one of those people who dreams too much. She does not even realize until she gets hurt! Dreams are good for inspiration, but they can blind you from reason. This was how Jena- much like many girls- was hurt. They see what they want to see, and then people take advantage of their dreams and crush them.

I often see people like Jena around me. They have high hopes and then when they are unable- or at least do not seem able- to happen.... They become depressed and unhappy. This is why I do not believe in love- why I do not believe in dreams I think will never happen. For me, I see it mostly with love. At school, so many people date, but it only lasts for a short while. My guess is probably because the people they choose may not necessarily go well with them. I also think it is because there is no such thing as "true love", as people put it.  Most of all, I do not believe I will find anybody.

Either way, you can get hurt. Jena is hurt by falling for someone who in the end treats her badly. I am hurt by not believing I can be able to do something. This is why being somewhere between the two is best. It is good to be determined and ambitious as well as realistic, but terrible to be blinded by dreams and doubt of not being able to do something.