A life lesson
Wednesday June 23, 2010
Monday night my family and I went to see Toy Story 3. I can honestly say that it was two of the most fulfilling hours of my life so far this year. This movie had brains, beauty, smarts and heart. Succinctly speaking, the movie was perfect. I was simultaneously moved and amused all in one breath.
The characters are so human like that the love they have for Andy resonants down in the deepest part of your heart. It’s genuine and pure. It rivals the love a parent has for their child. This type of love puts your personal needs and dreams to the back burner while you nurture the soul of the one you love, the one that needs you more than anything else. It’s very compelling to see in this context.
When the first Toy Story came out in 1995, I was 15 years old. I was a carefree teeneager with no responsibility to anything or anyone except myself. I was coming to the stage of my life where my mother was less and less front and center while my friends, boys and school/work were seemingly more important. I had started the transition to becoming the woman I would one day grow to be. An independent upswing. By the time the time the second film debuted in 1999, I was a college sophomore and fully entrenched in my grown woman swag. Still no responsibilities and still independent. My how things change in 11 years time.
As I watched TS 3 sitting with my husband and three children (ages 6, 5 and 22 months) I was overwhelmed with emotion as I came to the realization that one day these three kids that depend on me for their very existence will one day put me on the back burner as well, they won’t need me anymore. I think a better way to put it is they won’t crave me anymore. They won’t clamor for my attention or selfishly want all of my time. That happens to every parent and child relationship. Soon I will be on the other side of things with them as my mother was with me and her mother before her. My children will want and need other things and I will want and need to have a little slice of their life. It’s one of the most powerful evolutions in life. But one that is important to the existence of every human being.
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