I am not sure why I have always hated the movie Pinocchio. Maybe it is something about a puppet coming to life that freaked me out. I am sure that "Chucky" in my more mature years probably had something to do with tainiting my perception of puppets. Creepy puppets! Lately, Adessa has been watching Pinocchio at her Grandma Great's house. I have caught little snippets now and then while she is with Great, and I must say it is a beautiful story. While I have been thinking about the morals in Pinocchio, I have been re-reading "The Picture of Dorian Gray." For those of you who haven't read Dorian Gray, the premise of the story is about a beautiful man who has a painting painted of him. He bec
omes a hideous, evil, awful man, and his horrible deeds are manifested in his image of the painting. While he remains looking like an Adonis his painting becomes dark and twisted potraying the most horrible looking human being ever imagined. Similarly, we all know the story of Pinocchio, when Pinocchio tells a lie his nose grows. This makes it obvious for people to know when Pinocchio has been dishonest. I started to think about both of t
hese stories and how they are outward expressions of inward flaws. After the "What Women Want" expo I started to think about how much we as women care about our looks, I am no exception. I then started to think about "what if?" What if we had some kind of physical flaw maybe a mole pop up, or a big zit, or maybe boils bubbling all over us, for every time we told a little fib, or stretched the truth, or said an unkind thing about another person. What if we grew big mounds of facial hair, or warts, or giant cold sores, for every time we judged a person, envied a person, or shared a bit of gossip. I can guarantee you if we had boils popping up for each time we said something bad about another person (whether it be true or not) we would stop in a hurry. We would never gossip if we had
big bulging moles pop up for each unkind, judgemental word we spoke, or ended up with chops like Elvis in his later years for telling little lies. Vanity, simply would enforce being a beautiful person on the inside as well as the outside. Strange to think about what would motivate us to make the better choice. Are we motivated by the idea of being a good person, or returning to our heavenly father with honor, or would a change in our physical looks be more of a motivating factor to improve the kind of person we are on the inside. Dorian Gray eventually stabs the pain
ting which in turn ends up actually stabbing himself and transfiguring him into the person he had become in the painting, while a beautiful portrait of the Adonis he was hung perfectly on the wall. Pinocchio on the other hand gets a second chance and proves himself to be the kind of person within which is essential to obtain the exterior he has always wanted. I think that the morals taught in Pinocchio are Walt Disneys greatest works. Forget the princess junk, lets stick to the creepy puppet boy who teaches us how to be honest, repent, and make the right choice even when it is hard. Maybe if I work a little harder on the inside, my outside will improve a little as well. You just never know.
Isn't it amazing how quickly children make friends? It doesn't matter what the other child looks like, the color of their hair, skin, what kind of clothing, socio-economic background, where they live, what religion they are, or even what their parents do for a living, they simply
just love. This point was clearly reminded to me when Adessa made an instant friend waiting to meet Ariel in "California Adventure." As you can see, a secret was shared and an instant friendship made. How inspiring! If y
ou are ever looking for the right way to treat others, look to the example of a child. I am not surprised that the Savior loved the children so much, their purity is obvious and love contagious. When I grow up, I want to be like a little child.
Costume rehearsals are finished! Picture day is over! Showtime is here! I have said it before and I will say it aga
