Images and events as a child impact our thinking for much of
our lives. Our personal interpretation
of events can shape the way we interact, empowering us or hampering us as we
pursue goals, chase dreams and engage life.
As a child, personal events certainly helped to shape my
life. When I was young, and my family
was visiting my grandma Brown, I would give her a kiss on the cheek. She said to me, just between us, that those
kisses would keep her here forever. Not
three days later, she died. For years, I
felt I had killed her by not providing enough kisses. Only years later, with horror and an
understanding heart, did my parents realize my childish interpretation and
attempt to correct the perspective. Yet,
even today, I chide myself as to whether I have done enough to help either a
person, an event, a cause, or a community.
Similarly, beyond events, things we watch and enjoy as
family, also help to shape our place in the world, providing guidance and ideas
that might help us in our quests. I have
found that many of my most basic rules for business, choosing a home, or the
way to face the world come from movies from Disney.
From the Jungle Book, there is “Bare Necessities” which
instructed me to forget about my worry and my strife. And, I carry an inordinate amount of worry at
times, yet seem to thrive under it. From
Mary Poppins, who doesn’t consider a spoonful of sugar to help medicine go down
when we have colds? Heck, Mary Poppins makes every chore fun! And, of course, deadlines
certainly would not have significance were it not for Cinderella.
Yet, as a child, there is one movie which taught me more
about protection, defense, developing strategy, while planting seeds of
heroism, fighting the good fight, and working hard to rescue those less
fortunate would be “Sleeping Beauty”.
On May 30, 2014, the new “Sleeping Beauty” called "Maleficent" will be released. I know that it will rise or fall based on
whether I find those same rules inherently supported. You ask what those rules? Let me share.
Rule 1. You are safer
when you live discreetly, with a guard, a gate, and a maze between you and
unknown danger.
Rule 2. Be wary of
danger but always speak to turn away death.
Rule 3. Dreams are
seldom what they seem. And, so to, are
people. Those who are what they seem are
few and far between and are to be cherished.
Rule 4. There are
those who look human who are truly dragons of evil.
Rule 5. Avoid sewing
machines. It could cost you your life.
Rule 6. There is
always someone who is willing to fight for you, someone who will break down the
gates of hell to reach you. You just
might not know who that person is, yet. But, that doesn't mean you should go to hell
to find out.
Rule 7. As you age,
always be nice to those who dote on you.
For they are the ones who look out for you, love you, and encourage you,
no matter your choices or destiny. They
are also the ones who magically can change the world for you.
Rule 8. Be good to faeries.
Rule 8. Be good to faeries.
Disney has a few rules to live up to with this new release
and interpretation of “Sleeping Beauty”.
Evil is always evil but sometimes it is good to be able to sympathize
with how evil is created so as to understand why forgiveness is so important.
I hope you are as excited to see the new “Sleeping Beauty”. In my home, “Once upon a Dream” has been sung
for decades. And, the new haunting
version has regularly been played from Youtube for many months now since its
original release.
What rules have you held close from childhood? And, where did you find the rule?
