The City of Dreams and the Penguin Joke

Today started with chaos. My computer was doing weird things again, and Fruitloop asked me if I had the good computer or the bad one. Honestly, I didn’t even know what happened, but finally it worked, so it was okay. I was really tired. Like really really tired. I had a huge weekend and almost no time to sleep. She understood because sometimes her weekends was exactly the same.

I told her about the camp I did with church people. It’s not scouts exactly, but it’s almost the same energy, just with more music and less sleeping. We stayed at the farm of my friend and sang a lot. We played games, ate too much food, and slept in tents. But this time I had a real pillow. A real pillow is a luxury for me because normally during scout weekends I just sleep on my clothes like some homeless burrito. So honestly, this pillow changed my life a little bit.

The only problem was that we went to sleep at 2 a.m. and woke up at 7 a.m. Fruitloop looked horrified when I said that. During the week I sleep at 9 p.m., so my body was absolutely not prepared for this lifestyle. And tomorrow I still had another scout regional day with like 300 people. We had to leave early in the morning because the place was one hour and thirty minutes away. Again. No rest for me apparently.

Then we had to organize our next meeting because of public holidays and my trip with my parents next week. Fruitloop kept opening calendars and saying dates and I kept getting confused between the 13th and the 19th like my brain stopped functioning. Finally we decided on Tuesday from 4:30 to 5:30. Success. Administrative queens.

After that, the real conversation started. Fruitloop said today’s topic was “embracing the what-if.” At first I thought it sounded super serious and philosophical, like something written on a wall in Pinterest with a black-and-white photo of a bird. But she explained it was about imagining scenarios that don’t exist yet. Dreams. Possibilities. Things that maybe sound impossible.

She asked me why people think about “what-if” scenarios. I remembered a French quote that basically means hope keeps you alive. Because honestly, if you only look at reality all day, life becomes so monotone. Like if I just decide right now that I’ll never become a doctor, never become successful, never achieve my dreams, then what is the point? I can just stay in bed forever and become one with the mattress.

So I told her dreams give energy. Motivation. Goals. Even unrealistic dreams help people continue.

Fruitloop loved this answer. She started talking about lotteries and yachts and islands and risk assessment. What if your car breaks down? What if you become rich? What if you need a plan? Honestly, adults really think about car batteries a lot.

Then she asked me the most impossible thing I secretly wished was true.

I told her, very dramatically, “Peace in the world.”

She laughed and said it sounded like a Miss World answer, which honestly… fair enough. But I meant it. I said I hoped one day humanity would have some kind of giant collective click. In French we say “a click” when suddenly someone realizes they were wrong all along. I hoped maybe one day everyone would suddenly realize wars are stupid.

Fruitloop asked if life would really change for me if there was world peace. That question felt strange because sometimes wars feel very far away when you’re just sitting at home doing homework and watching TV. I know terrible things happen, but I mostly notice it through expensive fuel prices and stressed adults talking about politics. That made me feel weird and guilty at the same time.

Later we talked about important decisions. I told Fruitloop I’m only fifteen, so I haven’t exactly chosen between becoming a pirate or opening a cheese factory yet. But choosing school subjects feels important because it changes my future. My brain always asks annoying questions like:

What if I’m not good enough?

What if I hate it later?

What if I fail?

That little voice is always there.

Then she asked what I would try if I had zero fear of failure.

Immediately: theater.

Or stand-up comedy.

Or improvisation.

Actually, I already did theater improvisation in my old school. We had teams, music, funny names, themes, and at the end of the year we performed in front of parents and a huge audience. My team won. People laughed at my jokes, and not fake polite laughs either. Real laughs. I remember feeling so proud because suddenly I thought, wait… maybe I’m actually funny.

Of course I immediately ruined the emotional moment by telling Fruitloop the horrible penguin joke.

“The story of a penguin who breathes with his butt. One day he sits down and dies.”

It’s the dumbest joke on Earth. That’s why it’s funny.

Fruitloop looked shocked and disappointed in humanity. But then laughed at how ridiculous this joke is.

Perfect reaction.

Then we started inventing ways to improve school. My biggest dream is exercise balls instead of chairs. I physically cannot stay still for one hour. During lessons I move every three seconds like a confused shrimp. Fruitloop thought I meant I wanted offices in classrooms, but really I just used the wrong English word again. Story of my life.

Still, imagine school with bouncing exercise balls everywhere. Absolute chaos. Beautiful chaos.

Fruitloop also asked how “what-if” thinking helps mental exhaustion. I told her maybe it helps people realize their situation isn’t the worst possible thing in existence. Like when parents say, “Think about children starving in Africa.” Every parent on Earth apparently says this sentence. International parent union behavior.

Then we talked about routines. In the morning, when I’m exhausted and dead inside before school, I imagine waking up near the ocean with sunshine and warm weather. It motivates me a little bit. Unless I imagine my bed too much. Then I just want to sleep during class.

At one point I told Fruitloop exciting news: I’m doing an exchange program in Tenerife in November. Three months. Basically summer holidays while everyone else freezes. I’m so happy about it. I checked the weather there today and honestly it already feels like paradise in my head.

Later we discussed anxiety and negative scenarios. I explained that imagining bad situations sometimes makes problems feel smaller. Today I had a presentation in a difficult subject and I was stressed, but then I thought, okay, tomorrow nobody will even remember this presentation. Suddenly it didn’t feel like the end of the world anymore.

Of course, my brain also invents completely ridiculous scenarios.

Like attaching my phone to a balloon and accidentally sending it into space.

Fruitloop asked why I wanted to do that.

Honestly? For fun.

But also because I want proof space is real. Imagine if astronauts are lying and space is actually ugly. Imagine there are secret alien cities somewhere and nobody told us. Imagine teleportation showers. Flying cars. Alien traffic jams.

Fruitloop fully entered my madness at this point.

Then she asked if people can become too good at “what-if” thinking.

Absolutely yes.

Some people imagine so many disasters that they become more stressed instead of less stressed. Fruitloop told me about a holiday where her family overplanned everything: towels, dishwashing liquid, toilet paper, supermarkets. Honestly adults prepare for vacations like they’re entering a survival competition.

Near the end, she asked me what animal “what-if” thinking would be.

I chose a marmoset monkey.

No reason. Marmosets are funny.

That’s enough reason.

Then she asked where a “what-if” place would be. I immediately said New York. Or LA. A giant city where anything feels possible. A city of dreams.

Fruitloop started laughing because apparently today I was full of dramatic quotes.

And honestly she was right.

Today was theater, aliens, peace in the world, giant dreams, penguin jokes, flying planes, and imaginary cities. My brain was everywhere all at once.

At the very end, Fruitloop asked what tool a “what-if” question would be. I chose a magnifying glass because it makes things bigger. That’s exactly what imagination does. It takes a tiny thought and suddenly transforms it into an entire universe.

Before leaving, Fruitloop said we must be careful not to overthink too much.

I think she’s right.

But honestly?

Sometimes the “what-if” is the only thing that keeps life exciting.

And maybe one day I really will fly around the world, tell stand-up jokes in New York, send my phone to space, and talk to aliens.

You never know.