And I'm perfectly fine with that.
Like any hip-happenin' gal, I found myself watching ABC Family on Saturday night (the Mavs weren't playing, and for some reason I decided to flip to college ball during commercial breaks so I could get wrapped up in some of the movies that made me believe in fairy tales). I saw the end of Cinderella and then The Little Mermaid and Mulan in their entireties.
Needless to say, I wanted to go dancing, sing my heart out and kick someone's a$* after that kind of lineup.
While I could relish in almost every moment of each movie, there were particular scenes in each film that stuck with me. Disney is more profound than you might think.
At the end of Cinderella (STOP READING IF YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS TIMELESS CLASSIC AND DON'T WANT IT SPOILED), when the glass slipper that Cinderella lost at the palace breaks, and the Grand Duke acts as if the world has just ended and that nothing can be done to fix things, Cinderella chimes in and says, "But, you see, I have the other slipper."
And the dropped jaws and astounded gasps ensue.
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| My homegirls |
Sometimes people will write you off completely—they won't give you chances and might make you feel like you're worth less than you really are. Don't let that happen. Don't be afraid to bust the glass slipper out of your apron pocket and reveal to the world that you are actually a precious gem and not a rock that blends in with every other rock on a man-made lakeshore. Don't be afraid to be rare.
In The Little Mermaid, when Scuttle flies back to the dock to inform Ariel, Sebastian and Flounder that the woman Prince Eric is about to marry is actually Ursula in disguise, Ariel boldly dives into the water in an attempt to swim down the boat and save her true love for making the biggest mistake of his life. However, she forgets to factor in the fact that she no longer has a mermaid fin and doesn't know how to swim anymore—after all, she wanted legs for jumping, dancing and strolling. But, thankfully, there are provisions around—a barrel, a rope and the sweet and surprisingly strong Flounder—to help get her to her destination.
Just because it seems like you are too weak and can only experience defeat doesn't mean victory won't be your ultimate outcome. After all, who was kissing the prince at the end of the movie?
The night was capped off with inspiration after Mulan rescued an entire nation from the Huns by sending Shan Yu flying through the sky on a makeshift rocket, courtesy of her lovable pal Mushu. Right after doing so, knowing a huge explosion is seconds away, Mulan takes off running, saying to herself as she is hauling tail, "Get off the roof, get off the roof, get off the roof!" She doesn't even look back and, not surprisingly, manages to make a seemingly impossible escape and land safely before the entire kingdom honors her for her heroism.
There are times when you just know in your heart exactly what you have to do. You can't listen to other voices telling you otherwise, and you can't hesitate. Rather, you just have to be bold and take a leap of faith with the confidence that you're going on the right path, no matter how scary it may seem at the time. Sometimes lanterns are attached to ropes to allow you to slide to the safety of the earth below you.
It takes boldness to reveal you broke rules and pretended to be someone you aren't when you're in a servant position; it takes guts to dive into unknown waters when you don't know how to swim; it takes courage to take on an enemy and leap from a roof in hopes that a lantern will keep you from harm. Life is full of risks, but you have to take them if your fairy tale is going to be worth telling.
Sometimes the life of a princess is a bit more dangerous than you might have thought it would be, especially when you're the daughter of the King of Kings. It's not always easy to trust what He's doing or what path He's leading you down, but you just have to believe that His lantern is perfectly safe throughout the entire journey.
After all, it sure would be nice to stand before Him one day and have Him say what Mulan's father said to her at the end of the movie: "The greatest gift and honor is having you as a daughter."
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