Jump into the murky waters of the ocean. Dive beneath the gentle waves and sink into the chill darkness as it swirls around you. You hear the water as it roars in your ears, like the soft sounds trapped inside seashells. This is your vacation. Spring break, long summer days, and too-short weekends are full of trips to the beach, to the calming peace of the sea. It soothes, excites, and creates an escape from the stress of everyday life.

Turn on the news and you’ll see things like “Trump Orders National Guard to Mexican Border” or “NYPD Officers Mistake Pipe for Gun, Fatally Shoot Black Man”. The terrible things going on in the world are everywhere. It is important to know what is happening, but sometimes a break from reality is just as important as that physical vacation to the beach. Take some time and turn off the news, steer clear of social media, and just get lost in fiction. Turn back to your childhood fantasies and allow the negativity to slide away.

The escapism list is long. Fairy tales and fantasy stories are everywhere. Books, movies, and TV shows aplenty are at your fingertips. There are literally too many shows and movies out right now with superheroes and villains, people with powers and abilities to change and alter the world around them. This is just the sort of magic needed to escape from reality. Turn on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime and see what fairy tales you can find. I did a search recently for mermaids. It’s amazing how many different variations you can select from! It doesn’t matter what age range you are looking for, you’ll find something. Here are some of my recommendations to slip away into a fairy tale world.

For movies, I highly recommend “The Shape of Water”. I loved every second of it. I laughed and cried. Mostly, I had a stupid grin plastered to my face. This movie came out in December of 2017 and has won tons of awards. It’s a love story with a sea creature—merman—if you will. It’s a beautiful tale that sweeps you away for a nice little break from the real world. The last line of the movie brought tears to my eyes. “Unable to perceive the shape of you, I find you all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with your love. It humbles my heart, for you are everywhere." Don’t judge this hopeless romantic, go watch it and see for yourself!

“Siren” is a new TV show that I recommend. Dive into a world of mermaids? Yes, please. A siren walks among the town searching for her stolen sister. It’s another depiction of mermaids, think more Harry Potter style and less Disney. In started this month, so you won’t have too much catching up to do.

If you are a book lover, like me, a few recent selections in the realm of fairy tales I recommend are: “The Hazelwood” by Melissa Albert, “Wicked Like Wildfire” by Lana Popovic, and “The Bear and the Nightingale” by Katherine Arden. These books are YA fiction, but each one weaves its own fairy tale magic and takes the reader into a fantasy world where characters partake in unreal situations. For more adult choices, I recommend “The Rules of Magic” by Alice Hoffman. This book is the sequel to “Practical Magic”. For those of you who are not book lovers, this name may still be familiar to you because it is also a movie starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. Go make some midnight margaritas! If that goes right over your head, you definitely need to go watch the movie!

We all need to take an occasional break from the constant negativity the world throws at us. The options are numerous and everywhere, just like the beaches in Florida. Take a break from reality and escape into a sea of fairy tales! Do it for your sanity. Do it for that single thread of positivity that gives hope for a better future and your own happily ever after.