I love a good classic Disney movie. I still remember going to the theater when The Little Mermaid came out. Of course, at the time, the theater was the only way in which I even got to see a movie since my family didn't even own a VCR. Okay, that might not be entirely true, we may have gotten a VCR around the same time. Anyway, I remember thinking how magical the movie was. I loved the story of this mermaid, and how in love she was with her prince. As the queen of pre-teen unrequited love, I just knew Ariel and I were kindred spirits. I never did understand though, how she thought she would be able to get a man without her voice. I am a girl, and was a little too naïve to understand that Ariel left very little to a boy's imagination with those sea shells.
Anyway, My little Max has been a little . . . obsessed with The Little Mermaid. I probably should be concerned. I have The Little Mermaid little golden book and he carries it around with him. Okay, I have to admit, as I type this, I am getting a little worried about my, almost, 5 year-old.
The other day we all sat down and watched the movie together. I cringed as we got to the bargaining scene. I dearly was hoping that THIS time she wasn't so stupid! Ariel has got the most amazing voice. Since I have always been jealous of this talent, it kills me to watch her give it away.
The cunning of Ursula as she paints a beautiful picture of what her life could be like on land. She fuels Ariel's dream of becoming a human. She convinces Ariel that she just wants to help her. And it won't cost much, just her voice. Of course all of us think the little girl/mermaid is CRAZY!! Yet this last time, as I was watching, I realized that a lot of us pay for things with the loss of our voice. Sometimes it is the price we pay to fit into a group that doesn't share our same values. We think that if we speak up for what we believe then others won't like us. Sometimes it is the price to pay to be "P.C." Now don't get me wrong, I believe that it is important to respect other people's values and feelings. I don't think we should use derogatory language or off color jokes. Those kinds of P.C. are great in my opinion.
I have found that I pay for my fear with my voice. Crazy, I don't want fear, and I do want my voice so why would I give up my voice for the price of fear? Just crazy I know! Yet I fear what others will think of me, I fear that I might offend someone, I fear that people won't like me if they get to know the real me. So instead, I remain silent. My voice is silent while the voices in my head do a good job of assuming what people will think about me.
I have been blessed with the gift of a few good friends that have known me longer than I cared what people thought of me. I can be around them and not worry about what comes out of my mouth, they love me anyway. I want to feel that way around everyone. I know that what I really need to do is only care what God thinks. I often times feel prompted to write something on this blog. I stop myself though because I worry about what people will think. Will they think that I am pompous and know everything? Will people think that I am trying to tell them what to do? Will people see that I REALLY am CRAZY? Will they judge my spelling/grammar/writing errors? Will anyone read it anyway? Then I just give my voice up. I let my fear have it. No longer I tell ya! At least I hope to make some baby-steps. (Baby stepping out of the office, baby stepping to push publish, baby stepping to post on FB, baby stepping until I am sailing!!) (And if you get that reference, you get an A+ in the good movie department.)
Anyway, My little Max has been a little . . . obsessed with The Little Mermaid. I probably should be concerned. I have The Little Mermaid little golden book and he carries it around with him. Okay, I have to admit, as I type this, I am getting a little worried about my, almost, 5 year-old.
The other day we all sat down and watched the movie together. I cringed as we got to the bargaining scene. I dearly was hoping that THIS time she wasn't so stupid! Ariel has got the most amazing voice. Since I have always been jealous of this talent, it kills me to watch her give it away.
The cunning of Ursula as she paints a beautiful picture of what her life could be like on land. She fuels Ariel's dream of becoming a human. She convinces Ariel that she just wants to help her. And it won't cost much, just her voice. Of course all of us think the little girl/mermaid is CRAZY!! Yet this last time, as I was watching, I realized that a lot of us pay for things with the loss of our voice. Sometimes it is the price we pay to fit into a group that doesn't share our same values. We think that if we speak up for what we believe then others won't like us. Sometimes it is the price to pay to be "P.C." Now don't get me wrong, I believe that it is important to respect other people's values and feelings. I don't think we should use derogatory language or off color jokes. Those kinds of P.C. are great in my opinion.
I have found that I pay for my fear with my voice. Crazy, I don't want fear, and I do want my voice so why would I give up my voice for the price of fear? Just crazy I know! Yet I fear what others will think of me, I fear that I might offend someone, I fear that people won't like me if they get to know the real me. So instead, I remain silent. My voice is silent while the voices in my head do a good job of assuming what people will think about me.
I have been blessed with the gift of a few good friends that have known me longer than I cared what people thought of me. I can be around them and not worry about what comes out of my mouth, they love me anyway. I want to feel that way around everyone. I know that what I really need to do is only care what God thinks. I often times feel prompted to write something on this blog. I stop myself though because I worry about what people will think. Will they think that I am pompous and know everything? Will people think that I am trying to tell them what to do? Will people see that I REALLY am CRAZY? Will they judge my spelling/grammar/writing errors? Will anyone read it anyway? Then I just give my voice up. I let my fear have it. No longer I tell ya! At least I hope to make some baby-steps. (Baby stepping out of the office, baby stepping to push publish, baby stepping to post on FB, baby stepping until I am sailing!!) (And if you get that reference, you get an A+ in the good movie department.)
Don't hold back! I would never get offended by anything you say, or feel that you are a know-it-all. I love reading what you have to say and if anything you write about is something I need to change, I will be grateful to you for helping me. You are so full of love so anything good or bad you say is said with love and that's how people take it. They won't be offended in any way. And yes, we know you are really crazy. Why else do you think we love you so much? :)
ReplyDeleteLove this post. So true. We often give our voice away when we need to speak up for truth. I often hold back because I am afraid of offending someone (when it probably would not be offensive) but I am so interested in having them like me I say nothing. This is something to think about. By the way, you are a great writer.
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