Temporary Life of Disney Characters

Temporary is a word I love and hate in the English language. It has been on my mind lately because I have been going to Temp. Agencies to try and pick up some extra work. It is kind of fun to think I can be a different person every day. But it has made me think about how I have this love/hate relationship with TEMPORARY. On one hand, temporary is AWESOME when you are playing pretend...you get to "temporarily" be anything you want to be...like Lightening McQueen as Lakey so perfectly shows us...



The beauty of temporary is it is just that--temporary...so Lakey was in his costume for 2 minutes and he was done. It was more like he loved the process of becoming someone different, but once he conquered it (or me by getting me to put his whole outfit on!) he was done. I laughed last night when I realized I am kind of like that too. I like to work hard to get the things I want but once I get them the thrill is lost. Hence, why temporary is sometimes a good word. It reminds me that not all things are permanent. It helps especially when you are in a hard situation---all you have to think is "this is only temporarty...this time next month or next year it will be over."

But what I hate about it is that there is a real part of me that needs consistency and closure, not to live in the temporary life. It's ironic, but as much as I crave adventure and crave the need to change, I hate that that means that life for me always seems to be temporary...there is something exciting and terrifying about temporary for me. While sorting my life in this season I am so reminded how much like Lakey I really am. I like the challenge of playing a "new character"--which if you know me you know that my "temporary life as a Disney character" would include me being Belle...my secret dream is to be Belle at Disneyland and hug all the little girls that come to meet her.



But I digress, the reality is life is full of temporary and permanent. The thing that never changes everywhere we go is who we are. I have been VERY fortunate to be apart of jobs that helped (and when I say helped, I mean at times got in my face and forced me to look at who I really was) me focus on my Character and not my talent and charisma. At times, that was hard, but in the end it has taught me how to go with the flow because in the craziness of life that is unpredictable, the known and permanent has become who I am or more accurately who I am becoming. Well, maybe even beyond that the known and predictable is that character needs, not only the most important thing, but the thing that is consistently worked on and addressed. Then no matter where I live or what "character" I am playing--I have routine and consistency but still get to enjoy the fun parts of "temporary" life.

At the end of the day, maybe the most important thing I have learned in the last few years is it isn't about being a character temporarily, but learning how to work on my character in the temporariness of life.