I was first exposed to the term magical thinking when I worked in mental health back in the 80’s. I first connected it to mental illness because of my job at the time. This thought process is something we all go through every day of our lives from childhood forward. My first example that we can all understand is Santa Clause and the Christmas holiday season. As a child, I really believed that this person existed even though the reality that any present that I might get was not delivered by jolly old Santa. Somebody besides the elves had to go to work to earn the money for that gift. I waited up all night on Christmas eve and there was no Santa to be seen. Reality finally sets in.

There are millions of people living in this country who are not legal citizens. Some have lived here for decades with no problems.They have families and businesses and a true love for a country that has given them the chance to achieve everything that they could not have back home. A sense of self-worth.  They say I did not come to this country to commit criminal activities but the fact that one is living here as an undocumented person is lost to the magical thinking belief of I am not a criminal so what is the problem?. Donald Trump has put a new look at those who now are forced to live in the shadows of our society once again or risk deportation to at least south of the border.

Sometimes what we want that is beyond our access will only found in our dreams or magical thinking. Sometimes that is all one has left. Reality be damned.