A Tale As Old As Time

Walt Disney once said, ~If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell the spell will be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?~ I think it would be safe to say that when it comes to what is considered to be the top ranked most favorite Disney animated movie of all time Beauty and the Beast, it's truly synonymous with love/true love. For it's a seemingly truly relatable story indeed and it certainly tugs not only at the heartstrings and childhood, but at the inner child in all of us who grew up watching the movie. Thinking about it further, there are certain aspects with the movie and/or characters that represent/mirror the oftentimes beastly reality in regards to the so-called curse of living the single life and hopefully one day have it be broken leading to finally experiencing one's happily ever after.

Without a doubt, the very last line in Walt Disney's quote most definitely makes a tremendous impact for anyone who has felt/is feeling like they'll never be loved after constantly suffering utter heartbreak as did Beast after dealing with being cursed by the Enchantress for so many years. In some aspects, those that are living the single life ask themselves the same question to where they possibly feel as if they'll be forever dealing with the beastly curse they've been inflicted with and the mixed emotions along with it that can certainly be tremendously overwhelming at times. Anger, doubt, frustration, disappointment, hopelessness, bitterness, contempt, etc. are quite possibly what The Beast experienced during his self imposed exile within his castle. Of course, it's those same aforementioned emotions The Beast felt can also be felt by a person who has the unfortunate mindset of not being able to break the spell of the beastly curse of utter heartbreak to the point where he/she has been exiled within the castle of himself/herself. So, how long have you been in a self imposed exile in the castle that is within yourself?

As said before, there are certain aspects within the classic animated movie and/or characters that represent/mirror the oftentimes beastly reality in regards to the so called curse of living the single life and hopefully one day broken leading to finally experiencing one's happily ever after. If you think about it, one of those aspects is the rose encased in glass with the petals falling one by one, which in this particular case represents one's own heart. You see, if the glass represents the human heart then the key elements of true happiness such as trust, faith, respect, honesty, hope, understanding, compassion, contentment, commitment, communication, etc. are a representation of the individual rose petals that drop. It seems women, more so than guys, find themsees standing in front of the glass encasement of their heart and watching each petal fall one by one whereby their hopes of a strong, worthwhile relationship to break the spell increasingly fade. The question remains though, are you still hoping that what's left holds on and doesn't fall or are you simply waiting for the last petal to drop?

Let me ask you this question to those who are living the single life, how many have you have encountered or have ever been in a bad past relationship with a Gaston-like individual? For the most part, there may be quite a number of people who I surmise quickly raised their hand knowing they've dated in the past, were in relationship with, or were married to someone who even though they had the superficial looks was a horrendous beast on the inside. In other words, don't judge a book by its cover. Speaking of books, it's one of the quintessential themes in the movie in both a literal and figurative sense as Belle encounters two men who knowingly and/or unknowingly give her perspective on what absolutely defines matters of the heart. Of course, the same applies in the dating scene when encountering someone who'll give you a totally different perspective unlike any other. What it primarily comes down to is finding/meeting someone who has the innate ability to open up your heart like a book thus opening yourself up to in all intents and purposes read new, surprising, thought provoking, as well as amazing experiences within.

In retrospect, like Beauty and The Beast the true test of one day meeting/finding your best friend for life may very well come down to the following 2 choices: taking or letting go. Oftentimes, a difficult decision must be made because you're looking out for his/her best interests. Unfortunately, it's a sad state of affairs when there is a selfish all about me mentality in a relationship where the guy/girl only looks out for their own interests and the person he/she supposedly loves gets nothing in return. In any case, it's nice to know you're not all alone in this as you have best buds/gal pals or should I say your own versions of Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip, Featherduster, Footstool, etc. as your unwavering support and will always be by your side no matter what. In the end, I say to those who considered themselves cursed I hope the spell cast on you, in a manner of speaking, is finally broken someday by someone who knows the true meaning of falling/being in love and together experience something similar to a tale as old as time.