Pop psychologists and a few of their feminist cohorts warn us against the evils of fairy tales. Apparently, the age-old stories set girls up for disappointment. They depict young women as helpless victims - neither independent nor strong. Fairy Tales were the Helen Reddy "I am Woman" antidote. I disagree - not so much with Ms. Reddy vs. Cinderella, but with the notion that 17th century chicks were depicted as meek and frail. My childhood heroines in all of the classics - Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and all the others had more spunk and character than their male counterparts. I don't remember thinking that these women were weak or passive - sitting around waiting for a knight in shining armour to ride up on a white horse. They were remarkably brave, patient and always scored the prince! Maybe there were some weird, socially unacceptable elements of original European folklore that stress the scholars out, but I know that the sanitized versions of my favourite stories painted glorious images of knights and princes who were not only dripping with charm, but willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the girl. How can you not love that? Unless, of course, you're one of those prince charming guys - trying to slay dragons, impress kings and consistently risk your life in the name of love. It's the boys, if anyone that have it rough on the fairy tale scene - looking like medieval UFC fighters, desperate to win the prize.
Fast forward to 2011. Despite their antiquity, aren't we all in search of the quintessential fairy tale? The perfect romance, the magical backdrop, the happy ending? I believe that we all carry our private image of the "ideal". It's different for each of us, based on our own favourite "story", but it is the standard of perfection against which we measure each of life's moments. Pop artists sing "today was a fairy tale", brides strive for the "fairy tale wedding", and I certainly love the fairy tale vacation, celebration and Christmas gathering (Well, ok - that can be Normal Rockwell-ish...but he had a fairy tale thing going on)...That's what prompted me to blog about this notion of "perfection" that some of us like to shoot for - based on romantic images, and warm, familiar feelings of pure comfort and joy. Most excellent in the pursuit of the "fairy tale experience" is the fact that beauty and perfection is subjective. My perfect moment looks, feels and sounds vastly different from someone else's. Mine projects an unbelievable sense of peace, satisfaction and fulfillment FOR ME that no one else would realize...and I'm sure that, as my daughter or sons live through some of their moments of ultimate perfection I'll remain oblivious to them. But, despite the vast differences in how we measure "awesomeness", I love the fact that we do! Call them fairy tale stories, fairy tale endings, fantasies, or simply perfect tradition - it's wonderful to strive for a moment that can be etched in our memories as "the perfect whatever..." It's wonderful to create a personal library in our minds and hearts that archives all of those great moments, and designs our barometer of excellence against which we measure all of life's adventures.
As the new year takes stride, I am compelled to capture, in pictures, words and through any other means, those moments of pure pleasure from the 2010 holiday season. I am anxious to compile my own collection of fairy tales - all with happy endings, beautiful settings and captivating characters! January - a month of new beginnings - always inspires nostalgia for me. It's the month where I organize my family pictures - in albums and on-line. It's a month where I take inventory of the relationships that bless our lives, and celebrate the abundance in our home. My 2010 fairy tale stories include warm nights by the pool - watching ping pong tournaments, sipping chilled white wine and smiling with every burst of laughter and cannonball splash. A fairy tale cruise, where my very own knight in shining armour delivered champagne at sunrise. My family around the Christmas tree in their Santa hats, our dear friends and parents celebrating the holidays at our annual Holiday open house, and the road trips to Barrie, country music blasting and conversations rich with humour and teen aged insight, competing for the closest arrival time, and itching to see cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents again ! Counting down the last few seconds of a year, with anticipation of what the new one will bring. My fairy tales include a night of "kitchen table talk" with the girls in their sweat pants - contrasted by a night where they take our breath away with their evening dresses and shoulder-length curls! Watching hockey by a roaring fire, cheering in a freezing rink, or on a sizzling soccer field. Playing scrabble at home on a Saturday night or pretending to travel the globe with our dinner club friends, experimenting with the tastes, sights and sounds of exotic lands! 2010 was filled with my kind of fairy tales - beautiful stories of battles won, relationships grown, adventures taken and lessons learned. Like any great story, there were hardships and challenges. There were struggles and disappointments - but each of them helped to fine tune my definition of what "great" should look like...who merits the "knighthood" and how do the heroes and heroines measure up? In my world, 2010 was a great year; I am still crazy for my knight; hungry for adventure; and a real sucker for traditional, romantic happy endings....So here's to a new chapter, more hero-making moments and a few epic escapades. Good luck to those in constant pursuit of knighthood...and long live the fairy tale!!!
