The edge of greatness

Sometimes you find wisdom where you least expect it. Tonight I found some while watching a movie filled with fairy tales and fantasy. In it, Snow White, long dead, comes back to offer the young heroine some advice.

She tells the girl of her tragic story, how her own stepmother tried to kill her three times: first with a corset to squeeze the life out of her, second with a poisoned comb, and finally with a poisoned apple.

"But didn't you know she was evil when you opened the door?" the girl asks.

"Of course I did," was Snow White's reply. But, she says, and here is the key, "I knew I couldn't keep the door closed on my life just because it might be dangerous, just because I might get hurt."

How many times have I kept the door shut in my life because I was afraid of getting hurt? How many times have I stopped myself from loving someone or letting them become part of my life because it could be slightly dangerous letting someone so close to me?

Too often, I'm afraid. So often that as I look back on my life I cringe at all the foibles I make, at the attempts I make to draw people in so that they like me only to shut down once they get close enough to care.

I talk about letting love in, but how can I possibly do that if I'm afraid to even open the door? No, first I have to address all my fears of failure and ending up alone before I can make my way tremulously toward the door the next time someone knocks. It won't happen in one night, nor will I find all the answers neatly packaged by the time this episode ends. It's going to take some time and some hard effort on my part to work through this baggage I've been carrying on my back all these years.

Healing takes time, as does my acceptance that happiness might be beyond that closed door. For now, I have to get up the courage to look inside myself and make my way through my fears because, as Snow White assures the doubting heroine, "you are standing on the edge of greatness." Aren't we all? Now's the time to take the first step.

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The aforementioned film is actually one of those special TV series that were popular several years ago. This one is called The 10th Kingdom, and though it has its cheesy moments along with being a long 6 1/2 hours, it's worth watching.