On Thursday night, NBC is going to gift us with a live performance of Peter Pan and I, for one, can’t wait. As a kid, I was transported by my love affair with the musical and it saved me from a life of feeling like I really didn’t belong. At least in Texas. I should have been in Neverland.

I literally dreamt of meeting Mary Martin. And that finally happened when I was 35. I booked her on a show just so I could meet her. Her publicist was so impressed by my fervor that he brought his own copy of her cover of Life Magazine in 1956 and she signed it to me. She also signed the original cast recording that I owned and the VHS I had of the live television show. She could not have possibly known how much I was touched and influenced by her performance.

I actually had my mother make a Peter Pan costume and performed the entire show in my bedroom making my neighbors play the other roles.

Life is suppose to be fun: I Won’t Grow Up. As a big proponent of FUN, this suits me perfectly. Just think about all the fun you would miss if you grew up. “If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree. I’ll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up, not me!”

It’s good to have goals: And when I need to be reminded that dreams can come true, I can just look up.  “The second star to the right shines in the night to for you, to tell you that what you plan really can come true.” So don’t be afraid to dream big.

Happiness is an inside job: And when it comes to finding true happiness, “it’s not on any chart, you must find it with your heart.”

We are more than our bodies: The introduction to astal travel. As

Peter said to Wendy, “while you’re sleeping in your silly bed, you might be flying about saying funny things to the stars.”

Thoughts become things: If you want to fly, “Just think of lovely things and your heart will fly on wings.” You create your own reality.

Pick your business associates with care: There was definite business wisdom buried in the cautionary tale of the crocodile. We’ve all known them. They have no problem taking you down. “No matter how well bred, lot’s of etiquette in your head… Never smile at a crocodile, Don’t be taken in by his welcome grin, He’s imagining how well you’d fit within his skin.” I had a boss who fit that description perfectly.