Nature, or (Disney) Nurture?

You know how sometimes a certain theme or topic keeps reoccurring in your life and it keeps coming up enough that you feel like you should stop and devote some time to it? Well lately for me that has been the topic of little girls going through a 'Princess Phase'. I have several friends and acquaintances who have little girls between the ages of 3-5. They have each told me on separate occasions that their little girl is going through a SERIOUS Princess Phase and they sort of roll their eyes when they tell me.

But what really made me take notice was one of those people saying that they don't really know how their girl became obsessed because they don't let her watch TV and rarely any Hollywood movies. He said he recognized that she had seen the Princess paraphernalia in stores, and her friends were into them, but he was just surprised that she got SO into it, when they didn't even encourage it in their house.

So the question becomes; is there something inherently within little girls that kicks in around this age and they are completely drawn to super girly things and fairy tales? Is it the gender part of their psyche taking hold and staking it's claim? GIRL! OR is it the Disney marketing empire, shoving it's princess crap at girls of this impressionable age everywhere you go and you just can't escape it?

And of course there is the appeal of the fairy tale in which the Princess lives, where everything turns out wonderfully and it's all pink, and rainbows, pet tigers, and vodka .  . . oh wait, that's MY fairy tale.
So that part does make sense. Princesses are involved in good bedtime stories and happy endings.

But is there more to this fascination? Have you noticed most girls go through this phase? Why do you think that is?

Humble

Portion from the next chapter in my novel. Will be out of context of course.

Fire. When I arrived, wherever I was, the first thing I saw was fire. I was so startled that I tried to turn and run. When that failed I tried to adjust to what was being shown to me. But my view was hazy and I wanted to rub my eyes and blink. I could tell I was inside a burning building, walking quickly down a hallway that was filling with smoke. The fire was up ahead, bursting out from a room and into the hallway, and running up the walls like a reverse waterfall. My new body seemed shorter and I was glad to see that the walk of this individual was normal and steady. I wasn’t sure if it was a man or woman yet, all I could see was the occasional raised hand, covered in a thick glove up over the coat.

We walked quickly but calmly, going into each bedroom we came across, and opening each and every closet door. The rooms were so far fire-free, but the blaze beckoned up ahead. When we entered a room that was farther from the roaring fire and it was quieter I realized why the vision was hazy. The firefighter had a mask on, and I could also now hear the person breathing steadily through it. The breaths came quicker than normal, but still controlled. We quickly shoved a twin bed aside to ensure no one was under it, threw open the double closet doors, and peered within the adjoining bathroom, all within five seconds. As if delayed a bit since my arrival, the person’s emotions abruptly slammed into me. It was possibly the strongest feelings I had felt yet from a person. There was no mistaking what I was sensing. It was pure and undeniable determination. The kind where you know you are really good at something and nothing makes you doubt yourself. It was focus that comes from so deep within you that you can see or hear nothing else but your goal. I could feel the conviction of what this person believed, and felt no wavering in that conviction.

As we re-entered the hallway and got closer to the fire I heard the sound of a voice in my head, and thought at first that it was my host speaking.

            “Ken – you find her?” a man’s voice asked. There was a sense of controlled urgency in the voice. I realized it was a voice in a headset within the helmet.

            “Not yet.” my male host answered.

Do What You Love, or Love What You Do?

Maybe it's the new year, but I've been thinking a lot about careers lately. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and I am thinking about where my path should go next. They say if you can find or create a job around your passion in life that it will never feel like a job and you will always be happy with it. I wonder how many people achieve this?
How many people feel that they are in THE job that utilizes their full potential and satisfies their soul? Are you? If not, how close are you?

Hello 2012

Happy New Year. I have big pupils.