Harry Potter | Taking The World On With A Smile!

They Open at the Close

June 24, 2012 Karen 10 comments

They open at the close.

Yes, this is stolen borrowed (in part) from the magical inscription found <Spoiler Alert> on the snitch that Harry Potter caught in his mouth at his very first Quidditch match in The Sorcerer’s Stone and is returned to Harry six years later in The Deathly Hollows and yes, it’s true, I am an overtly mildly obsessive, freaky Harry Potter fan and yes, last weekend I spent four fantastic days in Florida with the primary purpose of visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Island of Adventure but NO, this is not a post about Harry Potter.

It’s about doors; the opening and closing of doors. And the inscription fits nicely.

Doors: They open at the close.

This is a crazy time of year when people are in constant motion, what with all the barbeques and pool parties; weddings and graduations as well as Stepping Up and Stepping Stones ceremonies to attend. I feel like all I’ve been doing over the past several weeks, is going in and out of doors and it got me thinking about all the many different types of doors we pass through in a lifetime.

There are doors that lead us to happy places and doors that don’t.

Doors we’re prepared to go through and doors we’re not.

Some doors are closed off temporarily and others are left ajar with the knowledge that it’s not quite time to close or open them fully. Something is still lingering. Something is left undone. You don’t have the strength or courage to close it or walk through it just yet and every once in a while a slight draft comes through reminding us that we need to get back to that door someday. Maybe.

Sometimes it can take years to pry-open a door but through patience, perseverance and determination, we manage to get through.

At other times, it takes only seconds or a few harsh words to close a door — forever.

Then there are swinging doors, the ones we rush through without thinking, only to get smacked in the butt by them before we even reach the other side, reminding us, it might have been wiser to take it slower and proceed with caution.

Perhaps then, we wouldn’t have gotten hurt so badly.

There are doors too, that we walk through willingly with other people, doors we are guided through as we follow another in trust, doors we enter, arm-in-arm with the one we love.

And of course, there are those doors we’re meant to go through completely alone, even though we have no idea what lies beyond them and despite the fear of the unknown, we continue on, making it necessary to trust ourselves and all we know we can be.

In the end, there is The Door, the one that leads us to the other side – assuming there is one.

As long as we’re living however, I think one thing is for certain: there will always be another door and the most important thing to remember is not to shut yourself out – from living life that is.

Try to make the most of what you find behind each door before going through the next.

But keep moving forward and always reach for the next the door.

What kind of door are you passing through?

Categories: Doors, Lessons, Life Tags: Deathly Hallows Harry Potter, Door, Harry Potter, Harry Potter's Wizarding World

The Boy Who Lives…On

July 17, 2011 Karen 8 comments

If you haven’t heard of Harry Potter, you must live under a rock. If you have but haven’t read the books, what are you waiting for? If you’ve read the books and didn’t ~~like~~ love them, I may have to re-think our acquaintance.

I’ve read all seven Harry Potter books, to myself, to my kids and then re-read some of them to myself, again. I immediately fell in love with the wide-eyed, innocent boy who spoke to snakes and had no idea he was special. I was equally drawn to the large and hairy, Hagrid who charmed me with his sincerity and devout loyalty to the Headmaster and to Harry. Then of course, there is the Headmaster; wise, beautiful and fiercely powerful, Albus Dumbledore. I don’t know how anyone could not love him. From the Weasley family to Dobby the house elf, the secondary characters are just as endearing and as important to the whole story.

My favorite character however is the Half-Blood Prince himself, Severus Snape. I was overcome with emotion when I realized I’d misjudged him. I hadn’t trusted my instincts and instead, I judged him. Lily was kind to Snape. She befriended him and forever, he loved her.

Kindness, is incredibly powerful.

Now, when I think of Snape, the image of a silver doe comes to mind and I could easily cry.

In her books, J.K. Rowling explores the power of love on multiple levels; how to love, who you love, what you do for love, what happens when you love.

For the past seven years, I’ve been getting lost in the friendships and the adventure, first in the words, then on the screen, submerging myself in the details surrounding this boy’s life. Watching him grow and learn through lessons of life and love. While the books don’t lack in humor, as a mom, I totally appreciate J.K. Rowling’s lack of fluff. Things don’t always go right and right doesn’t always win out. Things don’t come easy to Harry. They don’t come easy to most people. That, is life. And even though we overcome our struggles, our successes are often short lived, lasting only long enough for us to realize we are strong enough to overcome them.

J.K. Rowling also repeats the real-life-fact (over and over again) that things are not always what they seem, not with friends, family or strangers, reminding me again, to try not to judge people, their lives or actions but instead, to continue to strive to be true to myself.

Regardless of your age and despite the fact that the story takes place in a world of fantasy, everyone can relate on some level to some of the emotions these characters experience. Life is unpredictable and even painful. Sometimes things just don’t make sense but there is another side, a better side and when you fight for what you believe in, eventually, you get there. Perseverance.

You may love and you may lose people you love in the meantime but no matter what, you go on because life and love are worth it.

It’s so healthy to get excited about something and this weekend, boy was I excited! Not only did I LOVE the movie but I LOVE spending time with my kids too, so it was truly a win – win for me. Thanks to this gender-generation, transcending phenomenon, I had a date with my 10-year old daughter as well as my twelve-year old son who frankly, would otherwise, rather spend time with just about anyone else but me – but because we all share this common bond, this love for all things Harry Potter, any obstacles that would normally keep us at odds or apart, magically vanished for nearly three, whole hours and together we shared the experience of watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, at midnight!

Harry Potter, the movie epic has come to an end on the screen anyway but is it over? Hardly. In my lifetime, I can’t recall a phenomenon such as the Harry Potter series and how its appeal really has transcended genders and generations. Harry has already proven to have the same kind of staying power as the likes of Dorothy, Alice and even, Scrooge. J.K. Rowling’s story of “the boy who lived“, has earned its rightful place among the Classics. Harry Potter will live on and be read, over and over and over again, for generations to come.

Thank you, J.K. Rowling.