How to Be Invincible

If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my 8 year old self would have answered, "A magician." I grew up on Harry Potter and despite my mom's encouragement to reach for higher education and a more stable job, magician is what I wanted to be. Mom indulged my fantasy for a while, supplying me with magic tricks for my birthdays and all other gift-giving occasions. Then, one day my dad introduced me to Star Trek. Forget magician, I was going to be an astronaut! This certainly fit into Mom's requirements for higher education, and I was willing to brave the math in order to make my dream come true. Or at least that was the case, until I found out that I had to be at least 62 inches tall to be an astronaut. I might be able to study hard but there was nothing to be done about being short. Unfortunately, working for NASA isn't the only career with height requirements. Among other things becoming a Disney princess was ruled out. This was only the beginning of all the things people would tell me I can't do. I don't like being told I can't do something. I like to believe I am invincible. 

Last week my sister and I had plans to attend a Disney themed dance party. I was going as princess Anna and my twin was going to be Rapunzel. Two days before the dance, my twin asked me if I could possibly make a Flynn Rider costume for her dance partner. I am working 10 hour days not counting driving time. I have my pets to take care of and other household responsibilities I cannot neglect. Was it reasonable to assume I could do it? Absolutely! Did I agree to do it? Yes, yes I did. My dad, with my best interest in mind, told me I couldn't do it. To that I replied it was too late to say "no", I had already bought the fabric. He said, "that was your second mistake," the first being that I had agreed to do it in the first place. Maybe I should have listened to my dad it would have saved me from a lot of stress. Instead I got to work. For the next two nights I was up until 12:00 only to get up five and a half hours later to start the next day. By day two I was exhausted. That is when Mom stepped in. While I was at work on Saturday (the day of the event) my mom was finishing sewing the costume. I could not have done it without her. Flynn Rider was so surprised and pleased when he found out what we had accomplished.

From left to right: one of my best friends, Miranda, borrowing my pirate costume; me as princess Anna; my twin as Rapunzel; and dance partner, Cody, as Flynn Rider. (I made all the costumes except Rapunzel.)

All throughout the night I watched Rapunzel and Flynn dance together. They were so happy and that made it all worth it. I found that the real magic in my dream come true was seeing the joy it brought to others. While I was at the dance I saw this quote on a poster, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. - Walt Disney"   The moral of the story: don't let anyone tell you, you can't do something (after all despite being short I did become a Disney princess for at least one night). Surround yourself with people who will help you accomplish your goals. Find your courage and hold on tight.