And What If I Said Richard Was Nick And Henry Was His Gatsby

and what if I said richard was nick and henry was his gatsby

“There were days when she was very happy without knowing why. She was happy to be alive and breathing, when her whole being seemed to be one with the sunlight, the color, the odors, the luxuriant warmth of some perfect Southern day. She liked then to wander alone into strange and unfamiliar places. She discovered many a sunny, sleepy corner, fashioned to dream in. And she found it good to dream and to be alone and unmolested.There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why—when it did not seem worth while to be glad or sorry, to be alive or dead; when life appeared to her like a grotesque pandemonium and humanity like worms struggling blindly toward inevitable annihilation”

— Kate Chopin, The Awakening

I've been rewatching Phineas and Ferb (just found out that Disney uploaded a bunch of full season one episodes to YouTube) and one of my favourite parts is how, even though they have kids, Linda and Lawrence both lead full lives that don't depend on their children.

They have clubs and interests and skills that don't include their kids, they have a history before them and - most importantly - this history is SHOWN, and both of them seem to love their lives even if they aren't young.

I think a lot of people think that when you become a parent, you stop being yourself. They think that they have to give up all their hobbies and friends and everything for their children, but, while you do have to prioritize your children over yourself, you DON'T HAVE TO STOP BEING YOU. You're allowed to have hobbies, spend time with other people, build new skills, you're allowed to LIVE YOUR LIFE even with your kids. You are allowed to try things out, and make mistakes, and back track for a bit.

Obvs it's not a 1-1 to real life, which is much more messy and dangerous than the PnF universe, but I think the core message still stands.

EVEN AS A PARENT, YOU ARE STILL A PERSON

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More than being parents, I think this is a good way to portray adulthood in general. As you get older, or when you move out of the education system, a lot of things get harder - you're expected to fend for yourself (or depend on others less), it gets harder to make friends, and everything becomes more stressful. While I'm not dumb enough to think that most of us can have the life Linda and Lawrence have, seeing them lead full lives gives me some hope in that my life and my future can be as full of people, activity, and fun as theirs is.

Reading Narnia all the way through for the first time and i came across this line in Dawn Treader. I don’t understand it but I can’t stop thinking about it. I feel like crying for some reason.

i keep unsuccessfully attempting to explain to my mom and sister that Michael Crawford’s Phantom has a *tangy* voice, please tell me i’m not the only one who gets it