The story of Peter Pan has been told many times, in a variety of ways—from novel to play, cartoon to action film. Regardless of the storytelling method, one detail remains consistent. Women are given only 2 female characters to identify with—Peter’s beloved Wendy or the spunky sprite Tinkerbell. While Tink has had her fair share of spinoff success, Annie Passanisi and her band of whimsical writers think that it’s high time the Wendys of the world got their due. They’ve decided to remind the Wendy in all of us how to fly in Whimsy for Wendys: Joy Infused Living for Grown Ups.

Whimsy for Wendys is a fun, smart and diverse collection of essays by women who possess the same traits. It’s not “The Secret,” but by not taking themselves too seriously the Wendys allow their readers the same luxury. Whether advising us to sing out loud and proud or dance around at work, the Wendys are full of ways to beat the blues, the mean reds and any other negative mood hues that might strike you.

As women, we tend to overcomplicate things but, for the most part, WFW simplifies them. While much of the advice given in WFW could be written off as common sense it also never hurts to be reminded to live in the moment and be an active participant in your own life.

There are a few essays that are a bit out there and if you don’t subscribe to that kind of mentality you might have difficulty not rolling your eyes (guilty as charged). However, there are useful tips that you can apply to your everyday life—even for the most skeptical of us Wendys.

I found the pieces that did not constantly mention “whimsy” to be the most effective (one of them uses some variation of the word 25 times, begging the question, “is it possible to OD on whimsy?”). Since it’s certainly possible to be saturated to the point where you can no longer absorb positivity, the book is best read as individual essays rather than straight through in one sitting. On the flip side, once you find an essay that speaks to you—“Finding Your Cookie” did it for me—you can read it over and over again as needed for a quick emotional or spiritual pick-me-up.

WFW is also educational; “The Importance of Being Crafty, My Dear Earnest” teaches readers how to make their own patches, “Everyday Whimsy Moments” provides readers with a Whimsy Playbook to fill out and “The Whimsy of Spirit: Fiery Spirituality” introduces the idea of the Taoists Five Elements (I discovered that I’m an Earth spirit after going to a website and taking a quiz—who doesn’t love a quiz?). WFW sparks a variety of interests, all along the way reminding us that learning and having new experiences is the pixie dust of everyday life.

Some of the Wendys have titles that sound made up, but doesn’t Happiness Advocate sound more fun than something formal like Project Coordinator? And even if these titles are fictional, as Kathleen Passanisi points out in her contribution to Whimsy for Wendys, “Flights of Fancy” role playing is as healthy as it is fun. Besides, where would Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta be if she hadn’t decided to call herself Lady Gaga?

Fly over to the Wendys website to see more of what they’re about.

Article by  Kim Coughlin for Moxy Magazine, December 2011.