Brave (spoiler alert!)

Today I just had the chance to see Brave, and I loved it! I think it might just be on my top Disney/Pixar list now. I loved the characters (not to mention Merida's hair reminds me of mine after waking up), and the story line, quotes throughout the it, and the moral of the movie had struck me hard.

In my mind my hair is as curly as hers (and today it was a little more tame), and I almost stood on the other side of the cut-out, but then I realized it would have looked like she was shooting me in the head, and someone would have probably posted it on Failblog. It's an awkward pic but I wanted to capture the curly red-headed epicness.

I usually do not talk about my future, but I think about it a lot, and whether I will be accepted because of the challenges I have faced, yet at the same time, I don't want to rush into things because many others' have certain blessings happen sooner because it may have been the right time for them. I think about my mission on this earth, and how often times it seems to, in a way, contradict with what is often taught here at Byu. So ok, I know this may be cheesy, but I will come out and mention it. In Brave, (I know it's not the main message, but I'll get to that in a sec), Merida was forced to marry someone almost instantly, and felt peer pressure from the tradition, but felt it wasn't time. Sometimes I feel this way at Byu, where I feel that my mission often contradicts the lessons on dating and marriage--mainly timing. Yes, those are important, but I honestly don't know when it's supposed to happen, so I'm just trying to leave it in the Lord's hands as I'm trying to do what I'm supposed to. I've been told through certain ways that it will happen eventually, but it has sounded like it's not the most important thing for me right now (and for some people it is--I'm not trying to discourage or make different choices because everyone is different). While watching Brave, I felt that I could relate to Merida a little more and even had tears come to my eyes, as if an answer to my desires, when the queen said something like "It's ok, it will happen at the right time."

Ok, ok!! Cheesy soap message is over with! Even more than that, I admired the message of how pride can destroy families, and even more than that, I loved the main message on how we can change our fate. After watching the movie, I've thought about how my fate can be determined by how I take care of myself. Cystic Fibrosis requires a lot of bravery at times and constant responsibility. I could eat processed food all the time like "the average college student" and skip the homemade meals, fruits, and veggies, I could say, "I'm too tired to run or lift weights,"  "This medication tastes terrible!", "This pill is so small, so why take it?", "Max (the lax) tastes nasty and grainy" "This vest isn't getting much mucous up," along with many other excuses, but they all will determine my "fate." Even though Merida is a fictional character who faced much tougher decisions, we all have small decisions that can determine how our lives will play out.

So, the question is, "If you had the chance to change your fate, would you?"