As a child, Cinderella was my favorite Disney movie and you might be surprised to know why. It was the mice. Yep! I loved Gus. He was such a cute, fat, ole mouse. Of course the happily ever after was a nice touch, plus a gorgeous man at the end, but really it was Gus. I still get a smile on my face hearing his laugh.

So now that I am supposedly a grown up, what healthy messages can we get from Cinderella? I must admit that this is a hard one.

Happily ever after–nah. There will be a gorgeous man there to save me–nope. I can save myself. Don’t need a man, but that is another article.

Deeper, deeper, deeper. I think the message I would like people to take from Cinderella is, that no matter the trial in life, no matter how many are against you, no matter how much you get beaten down, you don’t have to let that make you a miserable and angry person.

Think about it. No matter what was thrown Cinderella’s way, she always maintained a positive and hopeful outlook on life. She always looked for the bright side and did whatever she could to make the best of a horrible situation. Even when she was faced with nasty, evil people, she held her head up high and prayed for guidance, strength and hope. Now that is a hard act to follow.

I am blessed to have a friend in my life (Sydney) that is a Cinderella. What do I mean by that? She always stays hopeful. No matter what stress, conflict or road block emerges in her life she will quickly vent and then she immediately looks for the bright spot. Seriously! At times is grosses me out because I vent longer than she does, but it does help me keep things in perspective.

Our attitude is ours to decide, not others. We cannot give up hope, and we cannot let others bring us down. I hope everyone out there can find their “Sydney” or “Cinderella”. They are life savers.