Life Lessons from Mary Poppins

Obsession. That's the only word to describe it. Certain ones of my children will get obsessed with something, (usually a video), and will watch incessantly, to the point of complete memorization.

I think my kids get it from me. No kidding: I once had the Oakland Temple Pageant almost completely memorized. Don't believe me? How about this, from 1985:

Pioneer Girl 1: "Maybe it's the will of the Lord!"
Pioneer Girl 2: "But why would the LORD put all the CUTE boys in the OTHER wagon train??"

Just ask my best friend, Loralyn, who sat through two weeks of performances right next to me in the balcony choir. Oh yeah, I knew the whole thing. (One day, I'll tell you about the wonderful experience of performing in Temple Pageant. Unbeatable!!)

Emma Jo, has a new obsession. It's Mary Poppins. She absolutely LOVES it. She was starting to sing along on only the second viewing. She even has her favorite lines to repeat, like Mrs. Brill's, "... and don't stoomble on the way out, dearie!", and Mary's, "Cheeky!" As a result, we watch it ... a lot. Well, if I'm going to watch something that much, I'm going for all the bonus features too, so I've listened to the actors' commentary, read the subtitles, and had the pop-up fun facts on as well. Maybe I'm as sick as she is.

And really, the whole movie does have a decided message: spend more time with your children. That's the bottom line. Then there are the other messages and life lessons that are woven throughout that film. Some are subtle, and some are not-so-subtle. So here's my take on Life Lessons from Mary Poppins. It's longer than I intended, and there's even more that I haven't touched on, maybe some that you can think of, too. Here it is, in no particular order:

✏ To start off, the saying, "be careful what you ask for, you just might get it" comes to mind. Jane and Michael wrote a great advertisement... very specific. And Mary answered the call!

✏ Be prepared. Mary Poppins packed lightly, but had all she needed in her carpet bag. Not sure if I'd carry around a potted plant, but having a light could be handy. And I'd love to know where I can get one of those tape measures!

✏ A spoonful of sugar really does help the medicine go down. And the corollary: In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. Finding the fun can sometimes be a challenge, especially for the uninspired. But how much sweeter is life when we add that spoonful! Michael was even ready to pass up an outing in the park, just to be able to tidy up the nursery again.

✏ Don't let your own plans get in the way of helping another in need. Mary Poppins dismissed her shopping list for the day, and headed straight to Uncle Albert's when she found out his predicament. Never mind that that message came from a dog.

✏ Expand your vocabulary!! A really good word, used at the right moment, is..... well, ...... supercalifragilisticexpealidocious!!

✏ Don't cry over what can't be fixed. When the rainstorm washed away Bert's drawings, he shrugged it off and looked at the bright side: his next means of employment.

✏ Never pass up an opportunity to go dancing on the rooftops! Or flying a kite, for that matter. Even at the end of a long, tiring workday.

✏ "With your fist holding tight, to the string of your kite....." Hold tight to your dreams!

✏ Keep your promises. Mary Poppins did not promise to always stay with the children: That's a piecrust promise. Easily made, easily broken. Promise what you know you can deliver on.

✏ You can't always trust first impressions. Mrs. Banks chose Katie Nanna because she thought she would be firm with the children. She looked so solemn and cross.
George Banks: "My dear, never confuse efficiency with a liver complaint." (In the books, Katie Nanna smelled of barley-water. Could be the reason behind the liver complaint!!)

✏ The theme of the tuppence comes up repeatedly. What is tuppence? Literally, it's two pence. Two pennies. A minuscule amount. It can be used for any number of things. But if you use it to bless others (Feed the Birds), or bring some happiness (with tuppence for paper and strings, you can have your own set of wings, with your feet on the ground you're a bird in flight, with your fist holding tight to the string of your kite) ...... how much better will your life be? It is such a small investment of your own time and money that can be such a huge blessing to others.

✏ As a side note, do we really appreciate what the women's suffragettes went through to gain votes for women? They felt, "our daughters' daughters will adore us" and that we'd be grateful for their sacrifices. Take every opportunity to vote.

✏ Everyone can use a great theme song. (Did you know each main character has their own theme.)

✏ You can have fun & spice up your wardrobe, without looking like a clown! I love the bright coral coat lining, the orange petticoats and off-beat shoes that Mary wears throughout the film. You can look sophisticated and conservative on the outside, but on the inside.........!!!

✏ Money doesn't buy happiness. Who was Bert, after all? A jack of all trades. He was a one-man-band, a sidewalk screever, he alluded to selling hot chestnuts, and most obviously, a chimney sweep. In those days, a chimney sweep was one of the lowest of positions in life. Bert's attitude, though:

"Now, as the ladder of life has been strung
You might think a sweep's on the bottommost rung
Though I spends me time in the ashes and smoke
In this whole wide world there's no happier bloke."

In the dirtiest of trades, he was not dissatisfied with his life. Maybe it helped to be a very lucky chimney sweep. I like to think that I married as close as I could get to it: the hearth products business has been good to us, overall. And we sell brushes and rods, too!

✏ Remember the part where Bert, Mary, and the children watched the sun set over London from the top of the tallest building? The best view, after all, is the view from above. Heavenly Father sees the big picture. And once in a while, we get a glimpse of it, too.

Perhaps you have some other thoughts on Life Lessons. If you've been with me for a while, then maybe you remember my Johnny Lingo post from a while back, too ......

(And I bet you're going to go back and watch Mary Poppins now, huh!!)