tuesday i was having one of those days were everything just felt wrong. it is so crazy to me that i don't want to call it like it is, i'm days away from my period, but feel it is so taboo to say i'm 'pms'ing. i'd rather just say i feel grumpy. at any rate, feeling blue and totally unreasonable, i recalled a story from childhood that left a deep impression on me, the snow queen by hans christian andersen.
this is a pretty fantastic story about two children, kay and gerda, that lived in a city with rooftop windows that faced each other. there was an adjoined space between their windows where they would play with each other and read picture books everyday. i remember thinking how romantic that must be to live that close to your best pal.
one day, kay's grandma tells the children about an evil troll that makes a magic mirror which enhances all of the negative aspects of whatever is magnified in it. the troll's followers accidentally shatter the mirror and the little splinters get into people's hearts and eyes which make everything they see appear ugly. unfortunately a piece of the mirror gets into kay's eyes and he starts making fun of his grandma and even his beloved friend gerda. she is distraught because she loves kay dearly and travels to where the snow queen's castle is in an effort to free kay from her spell. it's a classic story of good versus evil.
the point being, it is so frustrating to feel like you have a piece of troll-mirror in your eye when life is perfectly beautiful. i've finally found a solution for myself. on days like this, i withdraw so as not to add any negative commentary to anyone else's day. i really try and ride out those moments, or waves of progesterone (or whatever it is), and remember this sweet and symbolic story that shows the love of gerda for kay, even when he was at his worst.
image: frida kahlo by nickolas murray via heather heron