Taylor - Made

I remember spending a lot of my evenings and weekends in my youth curled up on the living room floor with snacks and soda, watching Disney movies on VHS. With great shame I admit that is still how a lot of my spare time is spent as an adult.

I believe the reason I was so attracted to fairy tales as a child was because of how each main character was usually depicted as having suffered some type of abuse, usually neglected, and facing a difficult challenge. These miniature portrayals of real-life issues peaked my interest. My father and stepmother were always fighting or arguing about something, and inevitably they divorced. I never felt more connected to a character more than Cinderella (just swap the cruel stepmother Lady Tremaine for a sadistic father and the two stepsisters Anastasia and Drizella for a tyrant of a half-brother). Our household was in disarray more often than I care to share. Fairy tales and Disney movies brought me comfort. They helped keep me optimistic that there was going to be a ‘Happily Ever After’ despite my Id - the pessimistic creature that sat on my shoulder telling me life would never get better. He was knocked down a few notches by this other creature who sat opposite and went by the name of Disney (my superego).

Many of the difficulties and experiences in life that we go through we wish to avoid but ultimately (even though we may not realize it), these are valuable moments for us that shape us into who we are. Part of why I love fairy tales to this day, is that each of us can find some sort of connection to each one. While I might see a lesson inside that pertains to me somehow, the same story will provide a different lesson to someone else, and if we return years later to the same story, there might be something new that we altogether did not see from before.

Today fairy tales and Disney remind me of a time in my life that would have been unbearable were it not for the false hope they had provided me. The music from the sing-a-longs drowned out all the fighting and screaming taking place in the background, and on that living room carpet I had found some comfort and peace. On occasion, as I became older, there have been scenes and songs from the movies that caused something inside to spark, and the faintest glimpse of a memory that had been almost gone forever, comes back. When that happens, I turn to my Id and smile, reminding him that he was wrong all those years ago - life does get better.