Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down . . . in the most delightful way! When the dog bites, when the bees sting, when I'm feeling sad . . . I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad!!!!!
Oh how I love Julie Andrews!!!! As a little girl, going to the movie theater was a big big deal. We got all dressed up fancy to go and the anticipation was unexplainable. The year was 1964 when Mary Poppins was filmed and all we owned was a black and white TV - going to the movies to that giant screen in color was simply magnificent. I remember that first time watching Mary Poppins and I fell in love with her. I wanted her as my nanny!! I wanted to ride that magic piece of carpet with her, and I wanted to dance on the roof tops! She looked like my Aunt Sally and could sing like an angel. She made me smile and as a little girl expanded my imagination and sweet dreams!
I was in love with Mary Poppins. I had my very own record player that played 45's and 33's. For Christmas I received the Mary Poppins album. I played it and played it and played it. I wanted to be Julie Andrews. I wanted to look like her, and sing like her, and dance like her. I couldn't get enough!! I knew the songs by heart, word for word. My neighbor and I would get together after school and play barbie dolls. Usually we would play at her house, and while playing barbie dolls we would put albums on the record player. Every day I would bring my Mary Poppins record with me and she would tell me the same thing - Lets listen to my beatles album first and then we will play your record. Well, every single time I would be called home for supper before we got my record played. I still hold resentment over that - and to this day am not a fan of the beatles!!
Then came the Sound of Music. It was only a few years later, but I was old enough now to be able to go to the theater with others. And I did, as often as I could. I saw, as a little girl, the Sound of Music seven times. I had the record. I played it constantly. Julie was my hero. I wanted to be a Von Trapp child - Lisel was my fav. I wanted Mr Von Trapp to be nicer to Julie and Lisel to be more her friend. I wanted to be the little girl that sang so sweet that Julie swept up in her arms and carried her off to bed.
I got so excited when Julie Andrews would be on Ed Sullivan, or Flip Wilson, or any other show that we may watch. I couldn't get enough of her and I couldn't seperate her roles from Mary Poppins to the nanny in Sound of Music. Her part just seemed seamless between the two, and I really believed as a little girl that THAT is who she was.
I learned many lessons from the songs, and some that carried me into adulthood. The funny thing about songs is we may not hear them for a long long time, but can pick up the tune immediately upon hearing it. While we don't think we listen closely to the lyrics, they are subconsciously burned in our memories. So often the words to some of the songs off these two albums would enter my mind, and because I had seen both movies so often, Julie would appear in my mind and I could almost hear her singing the songs to me.
One of the things that I treasure most is learning from Mary Poppins that laughter is contagious. "I love to laugh HA HA HA HA Loud and long and clear, I love to laugh So ev'ry one can hear! The more you laugh The more you fill with glee, And the more the glee The more I'm a merrier me!" Have you ever sat in a room and heard someone laughing and not been affected? Have you ever been near someone laughing and not had a smile come to your lips? Have you ever tried to be in a really bad mood and sat next to someone laughing uncontrollably - and been able to maintain your bad mood? Doesn't work!! Laughter is contagious!!
As I grew older and into adulthood my love for Mary Poppins and the Sound of Music didn't wane away. Julie Andrews is still my favorite female actress, but as an adult I can accept the fact that she is not Mary Poppins nor Maria. However, the parts she played in those films that as a child molded my life and somewhat owned it, have left a mark on me forever. When I hear people talking about their dreams I can hear the nun singing to Maria to climb every mountain until she finds that dream - as an adult I get that.
Most importantly, sometimes its good to have someone we admire teach us to take life with just a spoonful of sugar. Thank you Ms. Andrews for teaching me life lessons thru the gift of music - the sound of music - that make hills come alive and dreams come true!
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