Wanting to be

As of last week, I have a bit more "free time" in my life. Not a whole lot, given my current job of teaching at two schools, but more than the last 2 months. Deer Creek just finished it's run of Disney's Beauty & the Beast. The tale as old as time had a fantastic showing. The students met our expectations to the fullest, and really made the most of every detail, whether they were a dancing spoon or a percussionist in the orchestra or a stage hand moving the set. Can't say enough about those kids...but now on to the post topic...Wanting to be.

Ever since I was in 1st grade and Beauty & the Beast hit VHS around America, I became obsessed with Belle. Oh, how I wanted to be Belle. She was perfect. She had big eyes, long brown hair, sang her heart out, and loved books. The perfect combination of beauty and nerd. I loved it. I wanted to be Belle.

1st grade turned to 2nd grade, and I loved reading more and more every day. I honestly don't know if I was trying to act like Belle or just be myself, but I read books as I walked. I'm talking, read as I walked around the house, up and down the aisles of grocery stores, waiting for dance class...anywhere & everywhere was fair game. Needless to say, it made me proud when my brothers rolled their eyes and commented about the Belle in their house that couldn't put her book down.

Fast forward to present day, and I still get a twinge of "I want to be her" when I think about Belle. When the kids were auditioning for the musical, they knew that "Mrs. Sink is the competition for Belle!" If there were no standouts, I was just going to "have" to take on the role. And feel sorry for the poor girl who landed the role. She knew that come tech week there was always the chance of something just "happening" to her and that we didn't doublecast on purpose.

Of course I did not play the role of Belle in our high school musical and I no longer walk around with book in hand, but forever I will say that if I had the chance to be any fictional character, it would have to be...Belle!

*2 sidenotes:

1- Gaston really does disgust me, and if I met him in reality, we would butt heads terribly.

2- My dream job when I was younger was to be a dance teacher & a librarian. I thought I could actually read every book on the shelves. I would, in an organized and progressive manner, start from one end of each collection and work to the other. Simple. I was obsessed with the library Beast gave Belle...lucky girl. (Good thing Josh wrote me a book as part of the engagement!)