Changes and the Past

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Last night I went to see with my good friend Maria to see The Lion King on Broadway. I have been wanting to see this play for years! But there were never good deals around and I never had the money. An opportunity came and I was able to see it. Maria and I had a fantastic time! And the show was absolutely phenomenal! The music of course was great, but the talent from the actors was absolutely stellar! The vocals were amazing and we couldn't point out who we liked best, or what scene we like best.

And the costumes were amazing! The way they portrayed the animals and the costume they used were unbelievable! The large giraffes were actually people on all fours on these kind of stilts, the amount of concentration to move like that must be extraordinary. We were so pleased with the play. Then, there was one part of the play, that was also in the movie, that really stuck out for me, as most things do when they need to mean something to you.

Simba says to Rafikki that the winds are changing and Rafikki says that change can be good. I think I can deal with change okay, and a lot of changes I thought were terrible became very good. Some I can deal with, some I wish never happened, but overall, the end result became very good. Like when I lost my job three years ago. I thought the world would end, and now I realize it was the best thing that ever happened to me because I have my very own school now!

The second part between Simba and Rafikki was more personal and thought provoking for me. Simba did not want to face his past. I myself dwell on past happenings that hurt me or I struggle with dealing with, so I understood Simba's feelings very well. But Rafikki then hit Simba on the head and Simba exclaimed "What was that for?!" And Rafikki says, "It doesn't matter! It's in the past!" How true is that! Of course, a lesson from Disney! What else! We dwell on things that have past and put so much energy into them when REALLY they do not matter at all anymore.

Simba argues, "But it still hurts!" And Rafikki agrees the past can hurt. But you can either run from it or learn from it. Then he swings his stick and Simba dodges it. He learned from the past. So I guess my approach to things that have happened in the past that have hurt me is to learn from it. Figure out the lessons and use those lessons to better my future. Only a Disney movie could open my eyes to something like that!

Yours in service,
ANDREW TRENTO