Friday, June 18, 2010

A Duck Out Of Water

Deb: I have a few Donald Ducks in my life. Allow me to explain. When I was a kid watching the Mickey Mouse Club, Donald freaked me out. Yes, I was very young, but still. I was always so confused at his anger and jealously towards Mickey. 

I find myself to this very day confused and confounded by the Donald Ducks in my life. People who cling to jealousy, who can’t let go of a grudge, who don’t know how to forgive and forget. How do they function with all that hate and anger? The best life lesson I have learned to this point is forgiveness. It’s the lesson that keeps on giving. Heals you, heals the other guy. It is what brings me peace, and I think/hope it has helped me on my quest to be a better person. 

I have always strived to be Mickey with his sweet optimism and Pollyanna spirit. Mickey is a lover of Man and Mousekind who doesn’t have a bad word to squeak about anyone. He inspired me as a child and still as an adult I was always enthralled with the idea of “Anything can happen day” on the Mickey Mouse Club. I try to look at my journey as an “Anything can happen Life” where every day is a new and positive adventure. And in those moments of my life when I was jealous, vindictive or envious, I thought of Donald with his angry scrunched up sweaty face and I thought, “Yep, that’s what I look like inside and out”. I hated that reflection and the realization that in those ugly moments, the only difference between Donald and me was that I was wearing pants. 

Last year I made a big decision to change something in my life that was causing me to see Donald’s reflection in the mirror on a daily basis. It was a very painful decision, but now when I look in the mirror I see Mickey with his huge hopeful eyes. M,I,C––see you real soon, K,E,Y––why, because we love you! M O U S E. 

Barbara: That’s at once funny and painfully sweet, Deb. 

We’ve spoken many times about the best way to handle things when life gets tough. There’s often a Donald/Mickey quandary, isn’t there? Do you Donald it up and say what you mean and truly feel, and in so doing let that little scrunch-faced-bare-butted brat have his way? Or do you Mickey it, look on the bright side, decide you’re going to be okay if you don’t make those twenty valid but demeaning points, pull up your little be-buttoned shorts, and put your best paw forward? 

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been tempted to let Donald have his quacking way a few times over, even wished afterwards that I’d been “brave enough” to fully unleash his voice (even sometimes long afterwards), but I can truly say now that I have not regretted a single one of Mickey’s good-natured victories. 

11 comments:

  1. We need more people with Mickey's spirt . If we had more people like Mickey in this world can you imagian, what the world would be like? It would be great. We have too many Donalds, in this world, with his inner hate,we don't need that, we got enought of that in the world already. Besides Mickey is so much more adorable than Donald is. I know that I have let my inner Donald, come out sometimes, expecially if you read my blog you can tell it, but I try let my inner Mickey shine through,and when I do it helps me through the day, because I am more positive. So now all I got to do from day to day is think "What would Mickey do in a situation like this", and it gives me a more positive way of thinking.

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  2. We need to all let our inner Mickey shine through instead of our inner Donald. I know I let my inner Donald shine through sometimes,but I over power it with my inner Mickey,when u do that It makes for a more Positive day and you feel so much more better about youself.Besides Mickey is more adorable.

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  3. Ouch. I must admit this one hit a little close to home. Been battling with my inner Donald this week, but thanks to you guy, my work computer is now sporting a Mickey desktop background, and I'm sure it'll serve as a welcome reminder to let Mickey shine next week!

    Great post!

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  4. sorry not a responce but Everyone should check out this video on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMAOgSQNttU it is truly sad and it makes you relize not to complain about the simple things in life and be happy with what u got like Mickey was.

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  5. Thanks, ladies, for your great words here. For the pat on the back, My K, and for the inspiration from Lyndsie and Ruth. Lyndsie, I haven't see that video yet, so I very much appreciate you linking to it.

    Definitely a reminder to all! xo Barbara

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  6. Thanks for all the comments gals. Yayyyyyyy Mickey!
    Inner Mickey's shining through one and all of you!

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  7. Could someone please tell me how i can get more people to read my blog and also follow me on my blog. I can't seem to get anybody to actually follow me on my blog and read it. If anyone has any suggestions on how i can get my blog out there for people to see please tell me cause i don't know how.

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  8. Lyndsie, in case you check here before you check your comments at your own blog -- email us at radeckirites@gmail.com and we will give you our (very newbie) advice!
    xo

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  9. Thank you very much, like I said I am willing to learn. I have a feeling that I am going to need all the advice that I can get. Again thanks so much for the help. Very much appreciated ladies.

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  10. Just sent you all a message from aol.com, don't know if it will go through or not, If not I will send one through gmail because I finally figured out how to work it.(Yeah for me). Again thanks for all the help please let me know if you get my e-mail.

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