Day 16: Pinocchio: I've Got No Strings

 

I've Got No Strings

Sung By: Dickie Jones as Pinocchio, and Patricia Page, Mae Questel and Mel Blanc as The Dutch, French and Russian Puppets

Composed By: Leigh Harline

Lyrics By: Ned Washington 

This song comes to us when Pinocchio decides to join Stromboli in his Marionette show instead of going to school.  

It's a very simple song that kids can learn. Yet if you really think about the lyrics, it's a little bit deeper than it appears. Pinocchio sings of the strings that used to be attached to him and the freedom he has from not having them anymore. The marionettes still have their strings and sing of a longing to have that kind of freedom. The Dutch marionette wants Pinocchio to woo her and stay with her. The French marionette loves how he speaks and wants to cut her strings for him. The Russian marionette already has a marionette friend but wants to go with Pinocchio instead.

Strings. The strings Pinocchio sings of are physical. I don't think the little marionette realized he was also speaking of a metaphor for the things that tie you down for whatever reason. The strings could be something like having a job or going to school or having whatever obligations that life gives you. The strings could also be more deeper such as your personal beliefs or your views on life. It may sound like a bit of a stretch, but it shapes how you react to things or do things. Let's say you have a bunch of friends that want to go do something, but you don't feel comfortable doing it. That discomfort is a string that prevents you from joining your friends. It may be well found it because your friends may be doing something they are not supposed to or they may be doing something you don't like. It may also be not well founded like an irrational fear preventing you from joining in. Either way that would be a string that's pulling you back.  

Pinocchio had at one point both types of strings: the physical kind that marionettes have so the puppet Master can manipulate their joints and the metaphorical kind that sometimes caused him internal conflict. Through his naivety in the song, it shows us that the less you're tied down the more carefree you are. It also shows us that there will always be others who are jealous of those who aren't tied down with things or strings. Another thing it shows us is that there will always be others who will try to pursue those with no strings so to speak so that they too may live the same life. The last thing it shows is that no matter what even if you live a "no strings attached" life there will always be some sort of strings attached to you whether by accident or intentional.

So until next time, always remember to live your life to the fullest and Keep Cooking with Character! 

0

Day 15: I may be live bait down there, but I'm with ya. -- Jiminy Cricket

I may be live bait down there, but I'm with ya. -- Jiminy Cricket, Pinoccio

This comes to us as Pinocchio and Jiminy are trying to escape Pleasure Island. Before they got the idea to jump from a cliff into the ocean, the only known way off Pleasure Island was for the little boys who ran amuk on the island to turn into speechless donkeys. 

Even though Jiminy knew there was a chance he would be eating by a fish because he is a cricket (an insect fishermen use to catch fish with), he still stuck by Pinocchio, because, not only was he Pinocchio's conscience, he was also Pinocchio's best friend. Do you have a friend like Jiminy, one who would do anything for you whether you asked or not? Perhaps you are the friend like Jiminy and would go out of your way to make sure your friends are well cared for and on the right path. Jiminy Cricket is a wonderful example of how a true friend should be, even if at times he had his doubts in Pinocchio. 

True friends like Jiminy are very hard to come by, especially once that are as insightful as a good conscience. They won't ever lead you a stray nor will they ever put you in harms way. Plus if you ask them for something for help in anything they are right there lending a hand even if they don't have either the time or the funds to do so. They also ask for nothing in return except for you to treat them the same should they ever need help. They would never tell your deepest darkest secrets if you told them to keep it a secret. They may have their doubts about some of your life's choices, but they will stick by you to make sure you're safe, even at an arm's distance. If you have a friend like this, hold them close to your heart, don't let them go, for they are as rare as they come, and never take them for granted. 

So until next time, always treat others the way you want to be treated and Keep Cooking with Character!

0

Day 14: You might tell her the truth.-- Jiminy Cricket

You might tell her the truth.-- Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio

This good advice comes to us when Pinocchio is locked in a cage and  doesn't know how to ask The Blue Fairy for help.

Have you ever had to tell someone something or answer a question, but were not sure how to fully answer it? Did you answer it with the truth or a lie? The hardest thing to do in life is to tell the truth, because not everybody wants to hear it nor do they like to hear it. Some actually love to hear the truth, even if it hurts their feelings. As humans, we don't like our feelings hurt or that we are told we are wrong in our thinking.

 

When I think of this quote, I am reminded of another quote from the 1940s movie "Meet Me in St Louis" which starred the late great Judy Garland. It comes from Marjorie Main's character, Katie the maid. She said "A lie is a lie and dressing it in white don't help it". So it really is better just to tell the truth. 

Pinocchio found out the hard way that it is better to tell the truth from the start then tell a whole flock of lies. He didn't want to tell The Blue Fairy exactly what he did to get him into that cage. So he lied and his nose grew. Luckily, after Pinocchio told her the truth, The Blue Fairy saw just how sorry Pinocchio was for getting them into that position and his lies. She decided to help him out just that one time. 

Not everyone is like The Blue Fairy. Sometimes people are. Others, if you tell a lie once to them, will never forgive you and they will move on. Rightfully so, because when you tell a lie, you break the other person's trust and trust that is broken is not easily gained back, if ever. So it's just best to be truthful from the start and save yourself and others the massive headache. Yet I also understand how hard it can be, because we don't want to hurt someone else's feelings. We don't like seeing people sad, mad, angry, or showing the darker emotions that are also part of life. So we tend to sometimes sugar coat the truth or flat out lie just so we can spare the other the possibility of hurt feelings, which is counterproductive because people need to learn how to handle the truth in a constructive (hopefully positive) way.

So until next time always tell the truth and Keep Cooking with Character!  

0

Day 13: Look! Pretty!-- Pinocchio

Look! Pretty!-- Pinocchio, Pinocchio

This simple quote comes to us when Pinocchio has found a little flame on top of a burning candle that ignites his index finger because he is made of wood.

Have you ever looked at something and thought it was pretty? Did it fill you with happiness and joy or did you look at it with an appreciation but felt nothing stronger? Were you the only one that thought it was pretty? 

Sometimes the most prettiest things are the most simplest looking. Take the flame of a candle for instance. Its flame is that of shades of oranges and reds that dance with heat atop a white cotton wick that is set within the candle made of wax which can be a simple white wax, like in Pinocchio, or it could be more elaborate, like a carved candle that shows a multitude of different colored waxes inside. As the dancing flame melts the wax, the wax then drips down the sides of the candle until there is nothing more of the candle but the little silver stand that the wick was on, unless if it's a jarred candle, which it makes a little indentation until all of the wax has melted revealing that little silver wick-stand. Some may see it is just a candle or a source of light and nothing more. Others can look at it with an appreciation of the work that went into making a candle because it takes a lot of patience to make a candle, especially one that is hand-dipped. 

Life is full of the prettiest of things if we just know how to look at them. They say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" which is kind of true. What one person may find beautiful, another person might not. That's okay. We know what we like and what we find pretty or beautiful, likewise what we don't. 

So until next time don't forget to take the time to appreciate the pretty things you see in life and Keep Cooking with Character!

0

Day 12: A conscience is that still small voice people won’t listen to. That’s just the trouble with the world today.-- Jiminy Cricket

A conscience is that still small voice people won’t listen to. That’s just the trouble with the world today.-- Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio

While the Blue Fairy is talking to Pinocchio, she mentions a conscience to which Pinocchio asked what one was. Jiminy Cricket pops out of his hiding place to explain what it is, rather angry at the state of the world.

Everyone has a conscience. It tells you right from wrong; don't do this or go do that. It also has a way of stopping you before you do something really wrong that could get you in trouble. Sometimes people ignore their consciences for whatever reason and that is not the smartest thing to do. If you listen to your conscience, it will steer you to the best route possible. If you don't listen to your conscience, there is a chance you will go down a path that you in your right clear mind would not want you to go. It will become harder for you to get where you want to go or who you want to be. The hardest time to listen to your conscience is when everyone else is doing something and they want you to join in but you may not want to join in or do it. It is okay to say no to everyone else and just march to the beat of your own drum and what your own conscience says. 

So until next time always remember to listen to your conscience and Keep Cooking with Character!

0

Day 11: You must learn to chose between right and wrong.-- Blue Fairy

You must learn to chose between right and wrong.-- Blue Fairy, Pinocchio

This bit of advice comes when the Blue Fairy is explaining things to Pinocchio and how his newfound life should go in order for him to become a real boy. 

This lesson is one that everyone has to learn as they grow older. Sometimes the line between right and wrong is easy. Other times it's not. Have you ever been put in a situation where you had to choose between the right and wrong answer? Did you pick the right answer or the wrong one? Perhaps you're putting off a decision because you're not sure which one is truly the right answer. 

As children, we're usually taught that "this is the one right answer to this issue or this problem" and "every other answer is wrong". This is dangerous thinking because for some issues there is no real wrong answer and for others there's no real right answer. I can think of some more current events where there was no real right answer, but there was no real wrong answer either. Sometimes there's just no answer at all and while frustrating that is okay too. We humans always want the right answers every time straight up and hate when we don't get it. 

There are some definite right and wrong things morally. The biggest right moral is to treat others the way you want to be treated. The biggest wrong that can be done is to kill someone. All life is precious no matter how small or what they look like. There are so many things that are easily right or wrong if you use common sense. If you're not sure if something is right or something is wrong, ask somebody, get a second opinion, but ultimately what you decide is right or wrong is up to you. 

So until next time, I hope that you are able to easily choose between right and wrong and as always Keep Cooking with Character!

 

0

Day 10: I'll bet a lot of you folks don't believe that... about a wish coming true. Do you?-- Jiminy Cricket

 I'll bet a lot of you folks don't believe that... about a wish coming true. Do you?-- Jiminy Cricket

This question is posed at the start of the film just after the iconic "When You Wish Upon a Star" song. 

Have you ever made a wish? Was it out loud or just to yourself inside your heart? Was it on a birthday candle or maybe on a star? Was your wish something small, like say the light changes at a stoplight or getting a good parking spot? Perhaps it was something larger, like for a new sibling or maybe better job, or the love of your life to just fall in your lap and he or she be just perfect from the get-go. Did your wish come true or are you still waiting for it to  happen?

Wishes don't always come true for whatever reason. Yet there are always smaller little ones that seem to happen more often than not, like all the lights being green while you're driving, getting that prime parking spot when you need it, getting graded on a curve in school, or my personal childhood favorite going to lunch early or movie day in class. While we don't always think that wishes don't come true, they do when we least expect it. Sometimes when they're not granted in the way that we hope, they will be usually for the best. Sometimes when they're not granted at all, that also is for the best, though we may not like it. Yet we should never give up wishing, for that means we have the hope for something to happen. If you fall in the non-wishing crowd that's okay too, because it takes all kinds of people to make life work.

So until next time don't be afraid to wish on a star and as always Keep Cooking With Character!

0