We’re taught that growing up means getting serious. That wonder, playfulness, and imagination belong to childhood. But what if that’s the biggest lie of all?

I’ve come to believe that self-worth isn’t about perfection or performance. It’s about remembering who we were before the world told us who to be. Before we started shrinking, censoring, and contorting ourselves into someone else’s idea of “enough.” Somewhere beneath the conditioning, the roles, and the responsibilities… our childlike spirit still lives.

I think about that often when I look at stars reflected in water, or hear the bittersweet melody of Puff the Magic Dragon. As a child, I didn’t question if it was silly. I just knew, deep in my bones, that some dragons are real—not becau...

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