Sometimes a Bad Apple Can be a Wake Up Call… Snow White

When you hear the story of Snow White, do you ever wonder what would have happened to her if the evil jealous queen had not tried to kill her with the poisoned apple?  What if she had just lived her life out with the seven dwarves, cooking, cleaning and wiping Sneezy’s runny nose?

Not a bad life certainly.  She seems happy enough singing and dancing through life with the wild animals. Right?

However, if she hadn’t fallen into the deep sleep would she ever have met her Prince Charming?  Would she have expanded her life beyond the walls of the  cottage in the forest?  We’ll never know because she did eat the apple and she was awakened by the prince and she did follow a different path.

Where’s the message for us in this age old tale?

Lately, we’ve all been impacted by things none of use saw coming… a pandemic, isolation and mental  health concerns, a changing economy and inflation.  However, I am reminded of 2008 when it felt like the world was coming to an end too. I was working at the time in the education field and at the end of the school year five teachers had to move to other schools, teach other grade levels and say good-bye to friends and co-workers.  Other employees, Para pros and aides were told their job was being eliminated. One of them, a best friend lost her job and could not imagine how she and her husband would survive financially. It wasn’t an easy time for any of them. No one imagined that would happen. Our jobs had all seemed so secure just a year earlier.

I am also reminded of the year, I graduated with my master’s degree in school counseling and was looking for a job.  I interviewed at a zillion different schools, thought I would get the job at a couple of them and then everything fell through. All my friends from the program were already employed and still, I was looking and waiting, not very patiently, I might add.  Finally, just when I had decided it would never work out, I got a call to interview at Sixes Elementary and was hired into what became a dream job at a phenomenal school for over twenty years.

Sometimes rejection turns out to be redirection.

Sometimes change turns out to be a new opportunity.

Sometimes a bad apple can be a wake-up call.