Dam You Disney.

Honestly is there a story-line that won't break my heart?
       I was immune to princesses and pink and really all things Disney for a long time. After having 3 girls, my tolerance for sappy romance with all its song and dance is very high. One would think then that there is no problem with the girls' request to turn on a princess movie.
       Tangled was the most recent. Seems like a no-brainer: a brief window of opportunity where 3 girls are entranced by Rapunzel while their Dad and I get a few stolen moments together alone. What could possibly go wrong? Somehow, in the commercial breaks that happen on real tv, (whose idea was it again to get cable and move away from Netflix? *Sigh*) Aksel and I find ourselves parked in the middle of our girls, policing a minor dispute that has broken out. When the commercial break has ended, and mutiny truced, we are trapped in a snuggle-fest on our respective couches and chairs, anchored by the weight of small children on laps. Then the song and dance start up again and we are hypnotized by Disney ourselves!
       Which isn't a real problem is it? The "I have a dream" ditty is pretty catchy and Mandy Moore as a flighty teenager with crazy hair and a frying pan can be fairly entertaining. So we found ourselves enjoying the company and the show, totally unprepared for what was coming: The sappy ending.
     Oh please, you may be thinking, all Disney ends this way. Yes, it does, and having seen this ending more than a handful of times, one would think we could have remembered it, excused ourselves or at least tied on the armor to deal with the emotional battle ahead. Alas, we were stuck and not ready when poor Flynn (Eugene) Rider meets an untimely end in the tower and Rapunzel is left to mourn over his dead body.
Even worse, she starts to sing in her tearful voice,
"Flower gleam and glow,
Let your power shine,
Make the clock reverse,
Bring back what once was mine.

Heal what has been hurt,
Change the fates design,
Save what has been lost,
Bring back what once was mine,
What once was mine."

Aksel looks at me then, and I can see he is not even breathing. Dam you Disney, I curse in my mind, those words have cut us to the core. I so long for Rapunzel's healing powers and that song in this life! I smile at Aksel, that forced and tight, "I'm fine." and he breathes again. So does Eugene and they all lived to celebrate. And is that what will happen here, for us? That happily ever after might not play quite the same way in the real world when noone is magically healed and brought back to life.We all might dress up, play our roles, sing along, and put on the facade of a smile tomorrow and wonder when the happy might come. Until then, I'll be more careful about sitting down to watch you, Disney; I'll guard myself better against your love stories and fairy tale endings...I don't know that I'm quite ready to handle someone else's Happily Ever After, even if it is all just make believe.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

the things that go unsaid

Image
          It was a long day today. I took a drive after dark for a moment to myself. I am blessed that the kids hold space for me. Home is quiet when I return, with the windows closed, most of the lights already turned out, everyone settled in bed. deep breath, silently 'hello the house'.                                                                                I peek in and see the youngest, asleep in his bed mid-story.    tight smile, shake head. I climb the narrow stairs to wish goodnight to the oldest that I am certain is still awake. White noise of the ocean plays while fans try to move the stuffy air. A curtain of fairy lights fade and brighten to the waves of sound.  raised eyebrows and bite the lip.   This reminds me of a dancing flower I had when I was young, which would sway and jiggle when we would sing and giggle.    C atalog that memory in the bank of things I may not find time to mention; I know they would love to hear it, probably another day.   Drowsy smi
Read more

In a Yellow Wood

Image
          We got away this weekend, the kids and I, just across the state line to Wisconsin for a couple of days in the sunshine. It's a short enough drive with diversions of all types, and we have a few very budget friendly options that fill our time. This trip we shared a hotel room and with two nights of togetherness and quiet, our daytime needed space to stretch our legs and run free.  Witches Gulch was calling to me and after twenty minutes of driving and navigating, I thought we had found the trail to get there. The littlest one had fallen asleep in the last few minutes on the road and I spent some time cajoling him to wakefulness and then played some nature games to boost the mood.           I don't know if there is a better place to be than wandering in the wilderness with my people. One can start a song and the others join in, "can't go over it, can't go through it, gotta go under it." And then we are all challenged to limbo under a branch or clamber 
Read more

I Burned Your Condolence Card

Image
This is supposed to be an angry, vengeful post. A 'shove it up your rear you B' kinda rant. I've been saving this one for a day when my ire was raised high enough, when the fits of passion and fire raged within me and this could be my outlet.        Today isn't that day though. And it turns out, as much as I want to burn you, my old friend, this post probably won't be ablaze with hate.         Insight hit me tonight in the most unlikely place and a parallel ran in my mind to you. So I'll tell you all about it in the hope that putting my life in words and all my thoughts about our friendship's end in perspective, will help me gain some much needed peace. It started innocently enough. Yours was the last condolence card that came in the mail. Ironic it was, as I saw it at the time, a supportive card that absolutely was not. I read it just once. And then I threw up. The blame in those words made me so sick I couldn't contain it any longer.    
Read more