Day 74: Just because you can't understand something, doesn't make it wrong.-- Arthur

Just because you can't understand something, doesn't make it wrong.-- Arthur, The Sword in The Stone

This gem comes to us when Arthur is trying to convince Sir Ector that it is not wrong to want any better education then just the typical Squire education. Sir Ector sees this as an act of defiance and promptly give him several more hours of washing dishes.

Just because someone doesn't understand something doesn't mean it's wrong. I have to agree with this particular quote because sometimes when things are said they challenge our way of thinking such as in Sir Ector's case; learning how to read and write is not a bad thing. In fact, it is a good thing, but he did not see it as such because of the fact that he believes that if it has been done a certain way for centuries and works then there is no need to change it. However we know now that is not always the best thing.

Back in the medieval times things were a lot different than they are now. Back then, you could get in trouble for going to the wrong church or thinking differently, including doing what Merlin did and his modernizing things. Most people at the time did not know how to read or write and they were fine with that. They also held strong to the system of if you were a young boy your biggest dream was to go become a squire become a knight eventually or go you would go into a trade like blacksmithing, making things, farming or shopkeeping and for the girls their biggest dream was to marry a rich man and have lots of babies while being the perfect housewife by doing all the cooking all the cleaning all the running the house silently and never complaining once.  Back then, you didn't have to read and if you knew how to read you were one of the very few because books were not available as easily as they are now. When King Arthur was alive, books were printed by hand: hand lettering, hand drawing, hand binding, which is why the ones that remain are so beautiful. So only the very rich could own books, which usuallyincluded one Bible. Since there were so few books, there was not much to change a medieval person's mind and to change their mind or way of thinking scared them as it did Sir Ector. With Sir Ector, Merlin points out multiple times he valued brawn over brains. It's not always wise to just jump in with brawn before thinking through a situation. Merlin made enough of an impression on Arthur and he also realizes that the current situation he's in and wants a more advanced civilization too.

Now I realize that this quote is a very charged quote because it could go many different way in terms of understanding. There are some things in life that happen that are completely senseless. Even when we try to understand where the other person is coming from, we don't always understand it and that's OK too. There have been many events in recent history where someone has hurt or even killed another person and we don't understand why someone would do such a mean cruel and heartless thing. In that sense, this quote would not apply because, even though we don't understand why they did it, we know that it is wrong to hurt someone. That is never okay.

Now on the other hand if it challenges our thinking and makes us a better person in the long run then yes this quote would apply. It may not seem like it at the time, but if it has a way of making us think differently and turns us into better people and does not harm anyone in any way it is not really wrong. History has shown us time and time again that we should except a difference of opinion or just differences in general. For example, look at the fifties and sixties with the Civil Rights Movement. It was wrong that people got hurt and killed for standing up for what they believed in. Yet in the long run, it made people see past the color of someone's skin and being diffrent doesn't make them bad people. Let's say in the case of Sir Ector and Arthur, if Sir Ector  would have listened to Arthur before Arthur became king,  he would have had so many more doors open up to him through being able to read. Arthur understood the value of thinking a little differently because of what Merlin taught him.

So with that always keep an open mind about everything no matter how small and Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 73: What a mess! What a medieval muddle! We'll have to modernize it.-- Merlin

What a mess! What a medieval muddle! We'll have to modernize it.-- Merlin, The Sword in The Stone

After finding Arthur in a kitchen with dishes stacked higher than he is tall and asking if he had ever been a squirrel before, Merlin gives us this tasty gem. He goes on to start an assembly line of dishes being washed so they can make an escape.

Have you ever done something that felt like a never ending task, like washing dishes or writing a paper? Do you have the ability to modernize it, like using a dishwasher or a computer? I can think of several things I do that have been modernized and need to be modernized to speed up the work (here's looking at you dishes!).

Though Merlin could have fully modernized the whole castle with his magic and ability to time-travel, he didn't. One could wonder exactly why he didn't do so and only chose to create a pretty spectacular assembly line for washing dishes. I'm not gonna lie: every time I see that scene, I wish Merlin would come and magic my dishes so they will clean themselves like that. Wishful thinking I know. Sure we have modern dishwashers, but they just aren't as cool or as bubbly as Merlin's Magical Wash-O-Matic System! I have to agree with Merlin taking the assembly line approach. It's a lot easier and faster when you start a project (especially one that involves doing the same thing over and over) and get all of the components together and have a station for each part to be built or washed. It's even more fun when you have friends involved to help out (like say wrapping a lot of presents).

So until next time, always remember to modernize when you can and Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 72: Well that's neither here nor there.-- Merlin

Well that's neither here nor there.-- Merlin, The Sword in The Stone

This often used morsel comes to us when Merlin decides to teach Arthur how things work by turning both of them into fish. Merlin tells Arthur he has instincts (as a fish) and Arthur calls out Merlin for telling him he has none (as a human) less than a minute eariler. Then Merlin tries to backtrack what he says with this tasty morsel.

This phrase has been around for centuries. I was curious about the origins and found that it was first written down in the 1580s and even Shakespeare had used it in a play! Think of the phrase as a bit of useless trivia completely unrelated to the story if you will.

Have you ever used this phrase before? Perhaps to do as Merlin did, and backtrack or negate what you had just said. Perhaps someone called you out for getting off track of your story and you used it as a way to reroute your train of thoughts back to the original story.  I'm pretty sure I have never used this quote myself, but I may just have to because it's a good one and because I tend to jump all over the place with my stories and trains of thought! If I had to guess why I don't use it often it's because I feel if it's worth my time to say it then it's always here or there and never neither here nor there.

So until next time, it's always here or there and Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 71: So you must plan for the future boy. You've got to find a direction.-- Merlin

So you must plan for the future boy. You've got to find a direction.-- Merlin, the Sword in The Stone

This powerfully simple statement comes to us when Merlin is trying to convince Arthur being educated with books is better than learning how to be a squire while not paying attention to the direction they are mudsurfing. Two seconds later he realizes they are heading in the wrong direction and the castle is the other direction.

While Merlin is not wrong in what he tells Arthur, he does leave out that there are many diffrent directions one can take with their future. Have you ever tried planning for the future? There are so many what ifs and possibilites. It's always great to plan for it, and even better to have a few backup plans. It's ok if you don't know which direction you want to take your life or whatever project you're working on. Believe you me, I know first hand.

Take my blog and YouTube channel for example. As silly as it may seem, I had been having reoccuring dreams of starting my blog and channel and working on it from home full-time for several years. Once I decided to make that dream a reality, I had no idea what to call it or what direction to take it in. Thankfully one of my best friends helped me iron out what to call it and helped me with the direction to go in, much like Merlin and Archimedes the owl did for Arthur. I pitched so many ideas for names over the course of several months til I came up with this one. I knew from the start Disney and cooking were going to be the heart and soul of both since they are my two biggest passions next to my family. Yet I didn't know how to combine them. I finally got both started around 2 years ago (3 come May 2019!). It has not been easy by any means. I have lots of ideas and dreams for it. Some will see the light of day and others only get to see the inside of my notebook. I find working on even one segment of my blog brings me a lot of joy and an inner peace I don't find anywhere else. Even writing down my ideas brings me that same pure excitement on days I can't post. As much as I want to bring new fresh content to my channel, I can't just yet. Yet being the key word. So I will be taking it into a diffrent direction with my "Blast from the Disney Past" series, which are videos I've taken over the years at Walt Disney World, until I can get back to D Parks for completely new content and interviews. I also have big plans for when I bring in the cooking segments to my channel. Also since I can't work on my YouTube channel as I would like, I am focusing on my blog and on my DisneyQuotes365 project that I got started in 2018. My ultimate goal is to be able to have my dream of blogging from home fulltime come true. If through my blog and channel I can make one person smile or help them realize they are not alone or can make delicious Disney dishes at home, then my heart will be happier than ever and my blog and channel have done their work.
So as you can see with my blog, it's possible to have a plan for your future and it take many directions. It is a-ok for your future to look like a road map that Jack-Jack scribbled on. As long as you are planning for it and giving some form of a direction, you're headed the right way. There is a good reason why the future isn't set in stone. It changes according to the direction your choices take it, giving you the chance to take your life in the best direction possible.
So until next time, always remember to plan and Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 70: How do you ever expect to amount to anything without an education I'd like to know.-- Merlin

How do you ever expect to amount to anything without an education I'd like to know.-- Merlin, The Sword in The Stone

This hot-headed morsel comes to us when Merlin is trying to convince Arthur to join him for his schooling while Arthur is trying to convince Merlin he is getting taught how to be a squire.

Education is quite the interesting term. Nowadays, and in Merlin's eyes, it means going to school, learning to read, write, and do math. and graduating collage. Education in its most basic form means you're either learning something new or you're teaching someone something new. Arthur's squire education wasn't entirely wrong. It was normal back then for young boys to want to become knights  because that was one of the most respectable jobs any man could have. In order for him to do so, he had to start as a page, then get promoted to squire then one final promotion to a knight. Very few people knew how to read or write back then. It was a luxury few could afford. After all the printing press would take around another 1000 years or so to be invented, which made it easier for people to learn to read and write.

How do you define education? Is it how education is defined now or is it a word that encompasses much more than the standard definition? For me I define education as both how Merlin sees it and how Arthur sees it. Nowadays you need to learn how to read, write and do basic math. I also know how important it is to learn a trade, such as being a mechanic, a lawyer or even being an actress. Though there is such a focus on STEM in the schools, an education in The Arts also is something needed because it helps teach people how to appreciate Art and give them the skills to go far in whichever medium they desire, like collage or trade school do for lawyers, doctors or mechanics. Do you feel The Arts should be reintroduced into schools so it is STEAM not STEM like it is now?
To be honest I know what it's like to not to want to go to school or get a "higher" education. I had no desire to learn how to read when I was around 4 because my thinking was I would have my mommy always be there and read to me. My desire was to stay home and make cookies and sew pretty dresses like my mom and Grammie did. So, my Grammie was a retired school teacher and made a deal with little 4 year old me: if I learned how to read and sew by hand, she would teach me how to use the big "grownup" sewing machine. when I was 7. I struggled to read but eventually got the hang of it for the most part. I won't lie, I still have trouble with comprehension, especially when it comes to big collage-type words when I take a collage class. I'm not that great at sewing still, but it's a skill that's come in handy a time or two (especially with pants buttons and Halloween costumes). I am eternally grateful she taught me both skills, and I still love to look at my PUG book she used to teach me how to read with all those years ago. Home Ec was one of my favorite classes thanks to both Mom and her because of everything they taught me. Though I struggle immensely with collage, I am determined to graduate no matter how long it takes me. Slow and steady wins the race! It's always better to learn something slowly and get a full grasp on it than to learn something quickly and not understand it when it counts.
So until next time, all forms of education is just as valuable as the next and Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 69: I'm sure I can find it.-- Wart/ Arthur

I'm sure I can find it.-- Wart/ Arthur, The Sword in The Stone

This one comes to us in the scene where Sir Kay, a knight in medieval England, overshoots his target with his arrow and makes Wart go fetch it. Sir Kay also calls Arthur "Wart" because of  how small and "scrawny" he is. At this point in the movie, all Arthur wants to be is a knight and is a squire to Sir Kay.

Have you ever said this when looking for something? Perhaps you've said it not knowing what it is you're trying to find. I can't tell you how many times I've said it myself over the years. My "it" thing has varied over the years.  From lost keys, to a working pen, to food for a recipe I don't normally make to, even to finding true love with my soulmate and true inner peace, I've always been sure I'd find it, though I'm still looking for the last two of this list. Who knows? Perhaps I will find both while working on my blog and YouTube Channel! One of my new favorite novels, the Chinese tale called Journey to The West, tells a great story about finding "it", meaning enlightenment. I was first introduced to the tale of Sun Wukong by EPCOT's Festival of the Holidays back in 2013.  You can watch a retelling of it here on my channel. It lead me to find the entire story. Since I don't speak Chinese, I needed a translated version and fell in love with Anthony C. Yu's 2012 4 book translation. It's a fairly easy read outside of the character name pronunciations. It has a way of making you think about things without you even realizing it!

Wheneever you've gone looking for something, have you ever felt like you'll never find it only to find it later when you're not looking? It's funny how it sometimes works like that. You'll search and search and then get mad or frustrated because it's not where you left it or where you think it will be then just stop looking all together. Then out of the blue, the "it" you were searching for is found! This is what happens to me the most. It's annoying but it makes me appreciate the lost thing more. Hopefully you don't have to deal with this part when looking for something, but if you do, you are not alone!

So until next time, remember to stay positive that you will find whatever you're looking for and Keep Cooking with Character!

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