A Step Into Timeless  Wonder & Possibility

Floating down on a cloud, Mary Poppins entered my life, fifty-four years ago.  Enveloped by darkness and the big screen of Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, I was mesmerized by the wonder and possibility of magic through the cinematic storytelling of the Banks family and their “practically perfect in every way” nanny, Mary Poppins.  

For a brief period of time, my youthful world revolved around that movie, as I played the LP record over and over, dancing and singing to every song. I would re-enact scenes from the movie.  I especially tried to recreate “I Love to Laugh” though I couldn’t quite make myself float up to the ceiling! There would be stagings of  “Step in Time” on the front lawn with neighborhood kids.  And, of course, I could recite su·per·ca·li·fra·gil·is·tic·ex·pi·al·i·do·cious BOTH forward and backward to everyone!

Yes, Mary Poppins provided my childhood with a spoonful of sugar before the life challenges of the coming teenage years.  

In the intervening years, I have read and heard the back stories about Walt Disney, P.L.Travers and other principals involved…the conflicts, the challenges.  Especially in this age of dissecting every bit of “real truth” or “fake news” in social media, the adult in me recognizes the magic up on the screen isn’t the reality behind it.  

It seems for many adults (myself included) sometimes the jolly holiday pleasures of childhood are memories clouded by today’s realities as depicted on the small screen.

Yet, my inner child cheered as I sat once again in a darkened theater (this time with four of my grandchildren) to welcome Mary Poppins Returns into my life.  

Reminding me…

Life’s a balloon

That tumbles or rises

Depending on what is inside

Fill it with hope

And playful surprises

I know there are those out there, who “pish posh” at the sight of dancing penguins, toe tapping lamplighters, topsy turvy relatives, rollicking dolphins in bathtubs and such.  

Okay.

But for me, the magic of these cinematic images reflected on the faces of my grandchildren –  boys and girls aged 2, 6, 9 and (one on the pre-teen edge) 12 years old – was a step into the timeless nature of wonder and possibility.  

It was all there for me to see

And maybe, just maybe…

Everything is possible ~ even the impossible.

Imagine that!

Barbara

December 23, 2018