Mirror, Mirror: What stories can teach you.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Do you remember that very first time you ever watched a Star Wars movie? If you’ve never watched one, you obviously don’t (and you certainly missed out on a lot), but for everyone who has: I am pretty sure you remember that very first moment you saw the letters appear on the screen and the incredible theme song started to play. It was magic, wasn’t it?

I was only five years old when I first watched The Phantom Menace, but I remember it very well. I remember exactly what it was like to hear the music and watch the first scene with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. I also remember the first time I saw Jar Jar (I loved him from the start) and thinking Anakin and Padmé were really cool. I wanted to know them, hang out with them, be them.

I honestly just wanted to be the hero in an epic story, just like them.

I have my brother to thank for introducing me to the Star Wars universe, for it was him who got me to watch The Phantom Menace. I remember the day he came home from the cinema, all excited about this really cool movie he just watched. I could immediately tell it was something special.

After that, we watched the movies more than a thousand times, played the computer (and later PlayStation) games and created our own stories by playing with the Star Wars action figures, LEGO etc. etc. I am sure we weren’t the only ones pretending to be Jedi, using our ‘lightsabers’ (take a wooden stick and add a really big imagination et voilà). And do you remember that thing where you try really really hard to move objects or open a door by staring insanely hard at it? (You have no idea how cool it was when automatic doors became a thing and you could go to the supermarket and pretend you could actually do it.)

Yup, I was a huge Star Wars nerd. We both were. For Narnia, and for Aslan! I also remember the very first time I read The Chronicles Of Narnia: the Horse and His Boy. Not only was it a grand adventure and did I discover a wonderful new world, but I was also touched by the way Aslan treated Shasta and the other incredible characters. You can imagine it didn’t take long before I read all the other books (and later watched the movies).

My Narnia adventure was a bit like the Star Wars one, but this time I experienced it with my best friend. We were older (definitely not more mature) so it was a little different, but honestly not that much. We watched the movies about a hundred times, the LEGO/action figure stories were now fanfics, and the computer games were still computer games.

Are you an animal, vegetable, or mineral? In case you're wondering why I just told you all of this: I think stories and how you perceive them can tell you a lot about who you truly are. They are like mirrors. Think about that one book/movie that you love. What do you love about it? Why do you love it so much? What does that say about you? But also, what do you dislike about it? Or, why do you connect so well with that certain character? For me Star Wars and Narnia will always be my perfect mirrors.

I have always wanted to be like Luke. Why? Because he’s good and kind and he stands up for what he believes in. No matter how hard, no matter how scared he is, he always ends up doing the right thing. I also love Lucy. She's kind and brave and never gives up hope. Apparently those are qualities I admire.

Does that mean I possess those qualities? As much as I’d like to say YES! I am not sure. But I think I do. I think deep down inside I am good and righteous and brave, because those are the things I am drawn to. But I also recognise Anakin’s fear of losing the people that he loves or Ben’s struggles against the voices inside his head. Because those too are parts of who I am.

Never be afraid of who you are.

I think it’s important to have those mirrors because it's important to know who you really are. With everything that’s going on in this world, it’s easy to forget. We often feel like we should do what everyone else is doing, but I think that’s a shame. Everyone is different and that’s a good thing. The greatest people in history were the ones who knew they were different and dared to embrace that. It were the rebels. The dreamers. The believers.

So this is my question for you: What book/movie is your mirror? And what does that tell you about yourself? What is it that makes you you? While you think about this, I will wrap up this post by telling you a little bit about what comes next. Next week I will dive deeper into the world of Star Wars, as I will tell you a little something about a topic I think is a pretty big deal in the Skywalker saga: redemption. After that I think I'll write about fanfics, the short story I am currently working on and honestly just whatever comes to mind when the time comes.

Until then,

take care, and may the force be with you.

Love,

Annabel.

Book reviews: Force Collector by Kevin Shinick

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The Rise Of Skywalker by Rae Carson

★ ★ ★ ★ ★