Fairy Tales

I think that I have written in an earlier post that I am knee deep in fairy tales and princess stories these days. I have seen Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty countless times in the last six weeks. So imagine my surprise when I put L down for a nap and settle in to watch my own movie, "Eat, Prey, Love" and find another fairy tale. The thoughts I had about the movie were similar to those I had after reading "Traveling with Pomegranates" by Sue Monk Kidd (see earlier post). There seems to be a theme here that involves self involvement, angst, wallow, travel and find your destiny. Yes these are true life stories and the writers find bliss, a best selling book and get booked on Oprah, but can we really expect that our self obsession and focus on our sadness will lead to happiness? Listen, no one looks more beautiful suffering than Julia Roberts, but these stories set us up for disappointment. Personally, I am ending my relationship with wallowing and suffering. What can I do today that makes me happy? And not a kind of happy that is spilling out for others to note and envy. A kind of happy where you forget yourself because you are interested in other things.

Enough pontificating for one day. I have some more to say related to New Years, but I will spare you for now...

Have a good one.

I just finished reading this book. I was drawn to it because it is about a relationship between a mother and adult daughter. And I have to say that part of the book is lovely and I look forward to one day having a similar relationship of respect and discovery with my daughter. 

I also found the book eye opening. There seems to me to be a lot of melodrama for both the mother and the daughter with respect to their searches for vocation and identity. It reminded me of the now disputed fairy tales or the line from Jerry Maguire that everyone scoffs at: "you complete me." But I feel that instead of a prince, we are looking for an "identity" to define and complete us. Recipe goes as follows: 1. Go to distant lands 2. take yourself very seriously 3. angst, struggle and depression (underworld) 4. rise from the ashes with fabulous sense of who you are and what you do.

Is the creation of your image any more noble and complete you more than finding your prince?

I am reminded of a line I recently heard Jane Fonda say. "Be interested, don't worry about being interesting." Any thoughts....

Life's Little Lessons

I've been reading this book lately. It's a little embarrassing, but I have a habit of trying to reform myself on a regular basis. I won't bore you with too much information, but in a nutshell, I see this book as a manifesto to change your relationship with struggle. Since reading this I really have noticed how much of life's activities revolve around "pushing through it" or "just do it". 

There is much more I want to say about the book, but I will save it for a later post. (I don't want to be preachy).

Here is a quote though: "You must live in a different world, not the world you've inherited, but a world all your own."

I write it because it gave me a good chuckle this morning when I read it and thought about the image I just encountered in the mirror. I had just dropped my daughter off at pre school and and then had my first look in the mirror.  (Had people all morning really been seeing me this way?) I certainly have gotten the part about "living in a world all of my own" down!