Life Lessons from Dumbo

The latest remake of the 1941 film “Dumbo” came out this weekend.

I may not be a professional film reviewer but I felt that the lovable pachyderm Dumbo with the big floppy ears had conveyed its message to its audience in spades. It touched the heart and I believe the movie had already done its work in that regard.

The life lessons that were conveyed in the  original movie is also relevant today in the remake. Let me go through it one by one for better understanding and reflection.

First,through no fault of his own, Dumbo was born with a birth defect—big,floppy ears which caused him to be the victim of bullying,even been called a freak and a misfit.

He also had to experience the awful situation of being separated from his mother ,Mrs. Jumbo because of alleged physical violence on her part on a circus staffer.

By pure accident,  the circus staffers around him noticed that he can fly though clumsily.. His birth defect suddenly becomes an asset to the circus owner and unfortunately to another circus owner(from Dreamland) who happens to be evil and greedy.

Dumbo obviously had some insecurities and it took the trainer’s young daughter to give him a feather  to use as a security blanket to help him fly better. of course, by the end of the movie, he did not need it anymore.

When the evil Dreamland owner surmised that Dumbo’s recent reunion with his mother would be distracting for his own bottom line, he began plotting to kill Mrs. Jumbo.

However, the kind-hearted circus staff  found out about the evil plot and decided to help both Dumbo and his mother escape Dreamland from danger,never mind the bottom line, much less knowing that they will miss their dear friend for good if their escape plan  does become successful.

It did and it showed at the end of the film, Dumbo and his mother Mrs. Jumbo safely back in their home country among the other elephants.

For the evil circus owner, his Dreamland circus got burned to the ground through an accident. Karma really caught up with him.

And for the rest of the circus staff who  helped Dumbo and his mother to freedom, their circus career got revived again to great lengths without needing Dumbo as their star attraction. The good deed gets rewarded. They were Dumbo’s real friends in his hour of need.

The film tells us that no one’s perfect but whatever we have been born with and the knowledge acquired throughout our lifetime can become assets for us if we only know how to apply ourselves. It would also be important and fortunate for us if we also have people in our lives who would help us in life’s journey too.

We are here in this life for a reason. Remember that.

Dumbo brings out the child in us. He also represents those who have special needs and limitations in society but who has used whatever God-given talents that he has(in this case, his big,floppy ears) to his advantage.

When I think of Dumbo flying high up in the sky using his big ears, it gives me hope that good things could still come to us in this life.

 

Josie

The Mueller Report

Yesterday, US Special Counsel Robert Mueller finally submitted in its completion, his report (regarding his investigation of possible Russian involvement of the 2016 US Presidential Campaign—Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton)to the current US Attorney General  William Barr.

The much awaited Mueller report which was  maligned and praised depending on which US political party was talking about  it during its exhaustive investigating and fact-finding stages  has finally been completed after about almost 2 years and should be presented in its full entirety (without editing) to the people of the US who footed their tax bills on such an endeavor. We should also remember that during the investigation, Mr. Mueller also had  issued a substantial number of indictments regarding possible players being responsible as well.

Expect a lot of analysis,parsing,interpretations and misinterpretations as well as political spinning once that report comes out.

Let the chips fall as it is needed.

If Mr. Mueller so chooses, he can even publish his report in book form and I am sure it will become a runaway best seller. Remember Ken Starr with the  Starr Report regarding former US President Bill Clinton?

Mr. Mueller has been widely known as a very decent ,honest and honorable man. Whatever he says in that report will have to be accepted by the public in respect to him.

Like in the movie “ A Few Good Men“, a famous line was said—“You can’t handle the truth.” Hopefully, we will handle it.

In the meantime, I will get out my popcorn and enjoy the show. This will be very interesting to watch.

It’s Mueller Time!(my apologies to  Miller Beer—lol)

 

Josie

Luke Perry, RIP

Luke Perry of Beverly Hills 90210 fame had died at age 52 yesterday due to the effects of a massive stroke which he contracted about  a week before his death.

His accolades as a great actor  and great guy are well-known. I will always remember him as the modern version of the late James Dean. His bad-boy persona on screen was very realistic yet he also portrayed a golden heart beneath that persona. And to think that I had just recently watched 2 Hallmark TV movies with him both starring there as a brooding yet nice guy.

His death due to  a stroke will always remind me that no one is exempted from being hit by it. His legacy in terms of the medical field will be stroke awareness,prevention, treatment and rehabilitation(the latter regrettably he wasn’t able to survive long enough to experience it).

My prayers to his family and friends. A donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation in his memory would be nice as well.

I find it quite ironic that he died on the day it was announced that a Beverly Hills 90210 reboot will be launched. No doubt his absence will be felt once that reboot becomes a reality. They will have to write in  the memory of his character of Dylan McKay  somehow in the script as part of the story line.

Wherever you are now,(whatever is your new zip code),Luke Perry, may you enjoy whatever new role you have in the afterlife. Be ready for your close-up!

Adieu!

Josie