Fairy tales

Tuesday felt like popcorn and movie night. I made a batch of buttery sprinkle coated popcorn and we settled in we maybe draped in kids. Beauty and the beast was the chosen viewing. A Disney classic that I can’t recollect seeing. After the shock of the amount of singing, I settled in with a mouthful of sweet goodness. We had a good time, finished the popcorn and the movie and tucked the little ones in to bed with a little respite from bedtime. The thing that stuck with me was that maybe I was wrong?

I love fairy tales but felt them useless in the real world. Full of the impossible and fantastical. But afterwards I wondered if this was true? Okay so maybe there are no sorcerers and enchanted roses but there is vanity, fear, loathing, bitterness and anger. And it’s still patience, kindness and in the end love. It’s always that which breaks the spell.

Not love of things, ideals or oneself but of another. When my daughter runs to us after a nightmare, it’s not a logical explanation of the wind that calms her. It’s the instant enveloping, soft whispers and caresses. When my son had an unexpected asthma attack in bed and couldn’t draw a full breathe, I felt I couldn’t either. I would happily take everything he felt a hundredfold for him, without hesitation. The love of my partner. His kindness, his patience, his love. I could give a hundred examples but I am simply better for it. 

I’m still fearful about loads of thing, like raising my family in a world where love doesn’t seem to be the goal or even the journey. I still get down about myself, my body, my life. But patience, kindness and love keep me from going there too often and from staying there. 

A smile, a kiss, a hug, an outstretched hand, a strong shoulder, a listening ear, a warm tear, a open mind. The smallest of gestures can be the hardest to make but imagine if we all felt love? Love is more powerful than any and every emotion. Fear, anger and conviction can motivate but only love can elevate. It is the happily ever after. The spellbreaker.