A New Bloom

If you read yesterday’s post, you might have been curious about the other type of little girl. And after reading the title of today’s post, you may wonder what in the world this business has to do with a Johnny Depp movie.Exactly, gimme a moment to tie it all together.First, back to the two types of girl.The second type of girl is practical. A practical girl may also do the frilly dress from time to time, but she is willing to get dirty in it. Where the princess plays ‘family’ with her dollies, the practical girl plays ‘family’ by putting Barbie on a tank with army men.Practical girls grow up to be practical women who aren’t afraid to get dirty in their party dresses. She is willing to kick off those heels, get down on the floor, and have a good arm wrestle with her fella, while the princess is angry that her fella would suggest she do so, particularly in her best get-up.Practical women are queens.And they partner with kings.This partnership is just that: both partners communicate and create their intersecting multiverses. It matters not if they disagree because they take the time to talk. As humans, they make assumptions and instead of getting angry when those assumptions are proven wrong, they course correct.Together.What they do in the privacy of their unified space stays there. Instead of blabbering about it to her friends, the queen works out her dreams with her king.They are the family that rides the tank together — battles are fought and won, side by side, or back to back when necessary. There are no deserters. The front line is shared; the queen does not try leading from the rear while the king dies on the frontline.If they have children together, those offspring will most likely have a difficult time in school and social settings because the king and queen combo will raise them differently. They may be gentle souls with fierce spirits because they are not in a home where their parents fight. Instead, they might hear intense discussions and firm resolutions based on logic and common sense.If they bring children to the union, chances are those disparate offspring won’t understand the team. This is particularly the case if their other parent is not practical (in the case of birth mothers) or not a king (in the case of birth fathers). It is not to suggest that children don’t have their own minds, but often they will align with one parent over the other — it is just the way of things — and in some cases, alignment occurs with the least pleasant parent. They may refuse to engage with the new team or they might be ugly if forced to participate.Eventually, however, they often come to see how well the king and queen operate and become curious. Out of that curiosity sometimes love develops, but not always.This too is just the way of things.But back to the practical girl.She was most likely raised in an environment where so-called traditional gender roles were not a thing. She is far from helpless and can take very good care of herself. She allows people into her circle because she likes or loves them and not because she needs to use them for a purpose. If she is in partnership, she’s in completely. If she is alone, she may be all over the scene, seeking the best her Path has to offer or she might be a lone wolf who is simply comfortable in her own cocoon while awaiting that one special someone whose Path will cross hers. She does not make this happen.She expects it to happen in its own time, where it will unfold in its own way.She is a creative dreamer and refuses to be forced into a box.There is no such thing as ‘impossible.’And this is where the Looking Glass comes in.I watched it while doing a few other things a few days ago and as it neared the end (no spoilers), I got a bit weepy.

Mad Hatter: In the gardens of memory, in the palace of dreams, that is where you and I will meetAlice Kingsleigh: But a dream isn’t reality…Mad Hatter: Who’s to say which is which? IMDb (quote courtesy )

That right there? I was done. Cue tears and snot.That is the experience of the practical girl, the practical woman, the queen — she visits the gardens of memory and learns from them; she frequents the palace of dreams; and in the end, her dreams are her reality because she proclaims them such.And it for this reason that she will be hated by princesses.For this reason, she is generally happier, despite the difficult circumstances that come her way.You’re welcome.