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

Vasalisa by Mia Araujo

Is it possible to squee like a fan girl about Baba Yaga? Because she's talking about FAIRY TALES today!

This week's question and answer (via poet and oracle Taisia Kitaiskaia* of The Hairpin):

(Originally posted at The Hairpin HERE)

Oh boy - I am SO glad this came up! 

This is something I used to worry about, big time, especially when I was a child. I looked at the bored, unhappy and unfulfilled grownups around me and worried I, too, would dry up into a husk of adulthood and lose the wonder that kept me curious and creating, not to mention my will to keep trying. If I woke up one day and that "power up" I found in fantasy and fairy tales was gone, how would I bring back the magic? 

This is a problem I see adults struggle with. All. The. Time. And I get asked about it a lot too, being so obviously fairy tale inclined. Unfortunately I rarely have a good answer, other than "nurture the wonder...' But I think Baba Yaga has illuminated an important point.

Ironically, it may very well have been my fear that kept me plugged in and in pursuit of the wonder, because now that I'm not only a certified adult but well into the "is that a gray hair?!" crowd, I'm certain I will always be one of those people who says (in a hushed Sixth Sense voice): "I see fairy tales..."**

But you're not here to read my thoughts on this - you get that pretty much every day. 

What do you think of Baba Yaga's advice?

Want to ask Baba Yaga a question of your own?

You can!

There's now an email address where you can send your questions

directly to Baba Yaga herself.

AskBabaYaga AT gmail DOT com

To encourage Baba Yaga to continue imparting her no-bones-about-it wisdom (ok, there may be some gristle in there... bones too), I suggest we not to leave her box empty... 

Thank you Baba Yaga (& Taisia).

* Taisia Kitaiskaia is a poet, writer, and Michener Center for Writers fellow. Born in Russia and raised in America, she's had her poems and translations published in Narrative Magazine, Poetry International, and others.
** Actually, it's only gotten worse as I've gotten older. Baba's right - wonder is always mixed with fear. It doesn't have to be fear of the 'thing', it can just be fear of yourself (and I have plenty of that). It's one of the reasons I'm not so averse to this " dark fairy tales" trend, or of delving into the shadier sides of the stories. When you've been surrounded for a long time (as we have) by bubblegum and glitter tales, they lose their strength and ability to bite when you need them to. I like my stories to be strong and my fairy tales to have teeth...