Happy Hallo-week my Gorgy Pumpkins...
Last week we were inspired by a beautiful Japanese film. A slow-paced, simple story about a hardworking man who has pride and sees the poetry in a very unassuming profession...cleaning toilets. Ironically, a film set in Tokyo's public bathrooms was one of the biggest breaths of fresh air, the most inspiring narrative films my husband and I have seen in a long time. Perfect Days. At a time where we can feel the ground moving faster than we are, work emails and school announcements are filling our inboxes at a rapid-fire pace, and now we're getting into that slippery, sleety season called the holidays. We needed to slow down enough to take in the message of the film. The conundrum is how can we find the smaller, quieter poetic pauses, the simple joys and play in our day, when there is a constant race around us.
Well, this week my daughter learned about an iconic family that knows how to take themselves out of the race. Thanks to that popular Netflix series Wednesday my daughter already had a head start. She is familiar with her favorite character, Wednesday, as well as her parents Gomez and Morticia Addams, her brother Pugsley, and Uncle Fester. Then there's the lovable sidekick who is weirdly the most normal out of the bunch, the voice of reason, Thing. An old ancestor that hangs around...and is a hand. Just a hand.
Morticia: [to Thing] Thing, you're a handful.
The Addams family is known for their dark appearance and humor, delighting in the macabre, being unapologetically eccentric, mysterious, affluent, and reveling in the fact that they look strange to others.
Watching the old Addams Family episodes and films with my little one - who claims "she is definitely not scared" - I have a whole new appreciation for this family. Even though they have an inheritance, they are very generous and give back to their community. Unlike Succession, there is no grappling for it within the family. In fact, they are ecstatic when Uncle Fester reemerges after his disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle; being the oldest brother makes him the benefactor.
Wednesday: Nobody gets out of the Bermuda Triangle, not even for a vacation. Everyone knows that.
Dr. Pinderschloss: Oh, my little bundle. So much you don't understand. The human spirit, it is a hard thing to kill.
Grandmama: Even with a chainsaw.
I also think they are a very loving family. Gomez and Morticia have that married couple banter, but they are the pillars of the family and never forget the flame, as well as the funeral home, that brought them together in the first place. I even love how they parent. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily allow my child to play with real swords or experiment with homemade electric chairs. I DO love that they encourage their children's niche passions, adore them for their peculiarities, and give them enough rope (and a noose) to learn from their mistakes. I would say "...to hang themselves," but this would be too literal when we're talking about the Addams Family. They have the strongest sense of identity and take good care of each other. They are completely oblivious - or they just simply don't care - about how they look to other people.
I think this is why my daughter, as well as so many girls dressing as Wednesday this Halloween, is drawn to this family. It's not just the cool goth looks and dry humor. It's how different they are and stay unaffected by what other people think of them. Wednesday WILL stand up for herself and will also stand up for people who can't stand up for themselves. In the series, Wednesday, they will show a vulnerable side to her where she will still process insecurities like any other little girl. So they do a good job of normalizing those feelings. She learns that those feelings are okay and how to trust the right friends and lean on her family to help her through it. However, her general dry state of being unapologetically unique, and not giving a flying-frog-brain what other people think of her, is very admirable.
I think we could all be a little more like an Addams Family member. Whether you're a young kid with big feelings trying to navigate your way on the playground, or a full-grown adult feeling different peer pressure in the adult jungle gyms. Keeping up with certain societal pressures, financial status, or the race around you. I think we all have an Addams Family member we can relate to but also learn from. Maybe you're a parent who is scattered and running around trying to hold the family together so tightly that you're forgetting yourself. Be more like Morticia and lead with a strong, maybe even sultry voice. Do less and say less, know you have a whole family and community that are willing to help you. Instead of stewing, be like Gomez and SPAR. He is quick to act on the things he is passionate about, tells his family he adores them, and doesn't care what other people think. If we're feeling less like ourselves, like we're losing grip on all the things that make us feel whole, look at Thing. Thing knows how to get things handled and be a hero...and he doesn't even have the rest of his body!!
Gomez: [to his family] They say a man who represents himself has a fool for a client. Well, with God as my witness, I am that fool!
This week we're going to do some weird crawly fun moves inspired by the Addams Family. Their funky dances and carefree oddities. In true Addams form we will embrace it and not give a damn...or look forward to being damned. Either way!
Gomez: How long has it been since we've waltzed?
Morticia: Oh, Gomez... hours.
Excited to make your bodies sweat, smile, and before you snap ... snap TWICE!!
XO,
Celeste
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