A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.....
(currently listening to "Into the Woods" Original Broadway Cast recording)
So in preparation of today's blog, I:
There's something to be said for fairy tales in that the good ones stand the test of time and manage to touch children of all ages. Early fairy tales were actually meant for adults and children. I guess you can say that writers back in the day could see that there really wasn't much difference in the minds of adults and children except that the levels of judgement and belief were probably least effected in the adult as it would be in the child. However, they probably did see the characteristic in that even as adults, fairy tales signature characteristic is something that both adults and children cling for, open their eyes in hoping of experiencing and at night close their eyes dreaming about - that's magic. All fairy tales are comprised of some element of magic which is probably why fairy tales are told often, shared across cultures as some sort of educational/semi-religious teaching, and are important to growth of a child - because as human beings we are aware, or for some question, that there is something greater than us that is worth hoping for and dreaming of that maybe sometime will come true in our lives.
Majority of humans need to succeed could be based on this whole notion of fairy tale endings. There's an argument for the "Y' generation of 25-35 year olds of today that they are labeled the Mr. Rogers generation. If you grew up on those early afternoons with Mr. Rogers, you probably watched as that magic train came through his apartment (slightly creepy apartment) and into this fantasyland where puppets and annoyingly dressed 70's/80s bohemians lived amongs one another. As children you probably accepted the fact that these two worlds were true and could live in harmony. You probably also believed Mr. Rogers special lesson at the end of everyday which was he loved you and that you could grow up to be everything and anything you wanted to be and succeed in doing so. Maybe that's why as we grew up, we were the generation who ventured into wanting more, challenging our parents into letting us become directors, writers, marketing execs, actors, party/event/wedding planners, and bakery entrepreneurs thinking to ourselves, "I can do this. It's going to happen. I will make money doing this because I know I can. I'm not going to settle for any old job that isn't my dream job."
Well who in Jiminy Cricket's top hat let us go so far as to believe that wouldn't come with a price?
I mean haven't we learned anything from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty? We're one needle and one poison away from possibly missing out on reality because we've fallen victim to sleeping and dreaming for our prince of success to come?
Don't get me wrong - I'm a big Prince Phillip fan myself and I know that I'll get my damn slipper, laugh in Ursula's face, while I parade around wearing something my fairy-godmothers made me out of a vegetable bouquet I got on my birthday. But the fairy tale isn't about just the ending - it takes more than magic to get there.
For example, take the generation before us- our parents & baby-boomers, who quite possibly are first or second generation immigrants. Their fairy tale endings came with a left hand held up holding a little U.S. flag and their right hand over their chest reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. These heroes and princesses came here with one mission and that was for something bigger and better. However, unlike most of our own generation, the road and dream wasn't carried in a Gucci bag and Lexus. Their hopes and dreams were paved with jobs that paid the bills in white collar job security, medical practice sterility, and blue collar built homes. It was in these homes where the fairy tale for our generation blossomed. Where our parents tucked us into bed and told us great stories of princes and princesses fighting dragons and living happily ever after - because in essence we already were. We were nestled in the hopes and dreams of the people before us who never let the magic of their fairy tale endings for our lives end.
So we turn the page to our own stories and look at where we are. The sparkle of the magic kingdom still burns just as bright as when we were kids and the castle is still probably as big as we used to imagine it to be. The difference is our understanding of the cost. However, one thing remains constant - magic. We stand true to the underlying faith that magic is alive enough in our hopes and dreams so we can reach that happy end.
What is this magic? Is it a person? a place? As I've mentioned, as humans it is within our nature to wonder if there is something greater than us out there. The idea of a fairy tale ending is sometimes enough of a religion to some that they give into the notion of fate and destiny just expect the magic to bring them their happy ending.
For me, I like to believe in the glamour and happiness of magic in our day to day lives because of an understanding and faith that there is something greater than me out there. I find my faith in God to be my guiding light, the sword to fight my battles, giving me strength to succeed, and in the end find my hopes and dreams have come true. However, for others magic comes in the form of many things. Some find solace in education and concrete knowledge. For others, magic is just having a hand to hold. I know for some magic comes in the form of a good cup of coffee at 3pm - I mean honestly - that extra cup of Joe really is magic, isn't it? No matter how you see, feel, or experience that magic in your life, the point is that it is alive in your heart enough that you can continue to live your fairy tale story in your own special way.
When we look back at those fairy tales that played on VHS in our dens or were books with pictures our parents read to us in our beds, we should embrace the fact that magic that continues to drive our lives whether or not we can identify it. The magic in fairy tales and the characters that have represented the lessons within them have shaped many of our personal lives and continue to inspire our belief and hope for something greater. I think that is why fairy tales are so important to the growh of child. A fairy tale takes a child to places within themselves that are good and pure, and invoke the want to be greater than who they already are and could be.
As for me, I'm living my fairy tale, as jumbled as it may seem. But I am glad I am living it. My story is lived just like how I loved my fairy tales to be shared - in a musical sort of way.
I like to believe that I am the fairy tale story my parents like to think about and remind themselves that dreams do come true.
I like to believe that my family are the magic slippers, fairy godmothers and singing characters in my life that make the story so much more interesting and musical (with some great choreography).
And I like to believe that my hopes and dreams are coming true; and that along the road little and big dreams and wishes are coming true, too.
So in preparation of today's blog, I:
- Watched my favorite Disney Princess movie, Sleeping Beauty;
- Made myself a Shirley Temple;
- Watched my favorite Disney Sing-A-Long video (yes, that's right, I have them); &
- Tied a blanket around my waist and twirled around like a Princess..... (oh wait... I mean.....[awkward silence].... [face blushing])
There's something to be said for fairy tales in that the good ones stand the test of time and manage to touch children of all ages. Early fairy tales were actually meant for adults and children. I guess you can say that writers back in the day could see that there really wasn't much difference in the minds of adults and children except that the levels of judgement and belief were probably least effected in the adult as it would be in the child. However, they probably did see the characteristic in that even as adults, fairy tales signature characteristic is something that both adults and children cling for, open their eyes in hoping of experiencing and at night close their eyes dreaming about - that's magic. All fairy tales are comprised of some element of magic which is probably why fairy tales are told often, shared across cultures as some sort of educational/semi-religious teaching, and are important to growth of a child - because as human beings we are aware, or for some question, that there is something greater than us that is worth hoping for and dreaming of that maybe sometime will come true in our lives.
Majority of humans need to succeed could be based on this whole notion of fairy tale endings. There's an argument for the "Y' generation of 25-35 year olds of today that they are labeled the Mr. Rogers generation. If you grew up on those early afternoons with Mr. Rogers, you probably watched as that magic train came through his apartment (slightly creepy apartment) and into this fantasyland where puppets and annoyingly dressed 70's/80s bohemians lived amongs one another. As children you probably accepted the fact that these two worlds were true and could live in harmony. You probably also believed Mr. Rogers special lesson at the end of everyday which was he loved you and that you could grow up to be everything and anything you wanted to be and succeed in doing so. Maybe that's why as we grew up, we were the generation who ventured into wanting more, challenging our parents into letting us become directors, writers, marketing execs, actors, party/event/wedding planners, and bakery entrepreneurs thinking to ourselves, "I can do this. It's going to happen. I will make money doing this because I know I can. I'm not going to settle for any old job that isn't my dream job."
Well who in Jiminy Cricket's top hat let us go so far as to believe that wouldn't come with a price?
I mean haven't we learned anything from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty? We're one needle and one poison away from possibly missing out on reality because we've fallen victim to sleeping and dreaming for our prince of success to come?
Don't get me wrong - I'm a big Prince Phillip fan myself and I know that I'll get my damn slipper, laugh in Ursula's face, while I parade around wearing something my fairy-godmothers made me out of a vegetable bouquet I got on my birthday. But the fairy tale isn't about just the ending - it takes more than magic to get there.
For example, take the generation before us- our parents & baby-boomers, who quite possibly are first or second generation immigrants. Their fairy tale endings came with a left hand held up holding a little U.S. flag and their right hand over their chest reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. These heroes and princesses came here with one mission and that was for something bigger and better. However, unlike most of our own generation, the road and dream wasn't carried in a Gucci bag and Lexus. Their hopes and dreams were paved with jobs that paid the bills in white collar job security, medical practice sterility, and blue collar built homes. It was in these homes where the fairy tale for our generation blossomed. Where our parents tucked us into bed and told us great stories of princes and princesses fighting dragons and living happily ever after - because in essence we already were. We were nestled in the hopes and dreams of the people before us who never let the magic of their fairy tale endings for our lives end.
So we turn the page to our own stories and look at where we are. The sparkle of the magic kingdom still burns just as bright as when we were kids and the castle is still probably as big as we used to imagine it to be. The difference is our understanding of the cost. However, one thing remains constant - magic. We stand true to the underlying faith that magic is alive enough in our hopes and dreams so we can reach that happy end.
What is this magic? Is it a person? a place? As I've mentioned, as humans it is within our nature to wonder if there is something greater than us out there. The idea of a fairy tale ending is sometimes enough of a religion to some that they give into the notion of fate and destiny just expect the magic to bring them their happy ending.
For me, I like to believe in the glamour and happiness of magic in our day to day lives because of an understanding and faith that there is something greater than me out there. I find my faith in God to be my guiding light, the sword to fight my battles, giving me strength to succeed, and in the end find my hopes and dreams have come true. However, for others magic comes in the form of many things. Some find solace in education and concrete knowledge. For others, magic is just having a hand to hold. I know for some magic comes in the form of a good cup of coffee at 3pm - I mean honestly - that extra cup of Joe really is magic, isn't it? No matter how you see, feel, or experience that magic in your life, the point is that it is alive in your heart enough that you can continue to live your fairy tale story in your own special way.
When we look back at those fairy tales that played on VHS in our dens or were books with pictures our parents read to us in our beds, we should embrace the fact that magic that continues to drive our lives whether or not we can identify it. The magic in fairy tales and the characters that have represented the lessons within them have shaped many of our personal lives and continue to inspire our belief and hope for something greater. I think that is why fairy tales are so important to the growh of child. A fairy tale takes a child to places within themselves that are good and pure, and invoke the want to be greater than who they already are and could be.
As for me, I'm living my fairy tale, as jumbled as it may seem. But I am glad I am living it. My story is lived just like how I loved my fairy tales to be shared - in a musical sort of way.
I like to believe that I am the fairy tale story my parents like to think about and remind themselves that dreams do come true.
I like to believe that my family are the magic slippers, fairy godmothers and singing characters in my life that make the story so much more interesting and musical (with some great choreography).
And I like to believe that my hopes and dreams are coming true; and that along the road little and big dreams and wishes are coming true, too.
Um hello! We are so the same person! SLEEPING BEAUTY is my favorite too :) Hence the photo at the top of my blog this week. Look out!
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