I came to the realization this weekend that I am too much like Scarlett O'Hara, well in some ways, and that could be a scary thing, ha!Saturday night, I didn't have a lot going on, so I decided "when all else fails, watch Gone With The Wind", and I did just that (although, I didn't finish it until yesterday afternoon!)
Gone With The Wind has always been one of my favorite movies. I did finally read the book, once, and at some point need to do that again. This time, I decided to focus more on Scarlett herself and watch the movie in a different view.
I noticed how she was loyal to her family & her friends. She was protective over the things she loved most (ie: Tara and well, even Ashley). She loved money. She loved fashion & always wanted to stand out. She was fiercely independent and a very strong-willed individual. She shouldered the burden for too many things. And she also had a tenacious sense of jealousy that would only hit her surrounding specific things.
Am I like Scarlett in all those aspects? I certainly hope not. But I do see myself in her in a variety of ways. I like to think that I am loyal to my friends & family; I like to think I am protective (sometimes I can be overly protective). I'm not in love with money, but sure it's nice. I do like my fashion, but I don't always have to stand out (though many would say I am today with my huge pink flower in my hair!). I have a very independent and strong-willed personality; and do often shoulder the burden for too many things. And yes, I will admit I do get jealous at times. Everyone gets jealous over something ... no one can say they've never gotten jealous over something, that's just ridiculous. We may not stay jealous but you have gotten jealous.
Scarlett's jealousy was brought on completely by the relationship of Ashley & Melanie. I must admit there is the one main disagreement I have with Scarlett. Why in the sam hill was she so engrossed with Ashley Wilkes when she had Rhett Butler? Hello, Scarlett!, wake up & smell the roses!! Who had the looks, the charm, the passion for living, the money -- who had it all? It certainly wasn't poor little Ashley Wilkes. It was Rhett Butler.
Scarlett, my dear, you made a stupid mistake.
Sadly in Scarlett's case, it took her until the very end to realize that what she had desperately wanted her whole entire life was never going to happen. Even when she had the opportune time for it to happen (ie: Melanie's passing opening the door for her & Ashley), she finally realized that she would only be second-rate to Ashley. She FINALLY realized that it was Rhett who would always love her and would always place her first in his life. Yet she chased after a dream that would never be fulfilled.
Even today, we are often caught up chasing stars and dreams that we'll never catch or fulfill. Don't be like Scarlett and wait until the last minute to realize that you'll never have a chance. I'm not saying don't chase your dreams or reach for your full potential, but don't let that consume you. Maybe what you need or what you want is right in front of you. Don't turn your back on those around you because they could be the key to your life.
Even though Scarlett had her faults, I still admire her. She was a figher, she was courageous, she was so many things that many should strive to be. She was beautiful (even though the book itself does not describe Scarlett as a beautiful creature) -- but it's not all about beauty. It's what's on the inside & if your heart isn't clean and shining, then it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside.
So dream big and chase the rainbows but be prepared at some point to realize that you may not find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We have to wake up and look at what is right in front of us & discern whether that is what is meant for us.
And as Scarlett herself would say ...
"I won't think about that today ... I'll think about that tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day"
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