Aladin Analysis

“What makes the difference between wishing and realizing our wishes? Lots of things, and it may take months or years for wish to come true, but it's far more likely to happen when you care so much about a wish that you'll do all you can to make it happen.” ~Fred Rogers

I could have sworn a had already written a blog on this topic. But I can't find it. And my mom and one of the Oklahoma Girls, who are my most loyal readers, assure me they have not read one. So I must be dreaming. If not, and it turns out this is a re-run, I'm sorry!

College Roomie and I were talking about genies. (Please realize that during our weekly dinners we talk about pretty much EVERYTHING on the face of the earth...case in point!) You know, rub the magic bottle, wish granting genies. Like the one in Aladin. College Roomie said that she wished she had a genie for something having to do with love.


I quickly said, "Nope. He can't do that. It's against the rules." She looked at me confused and asked what I was talking about. I went on to explain to her that in Aladin, the Genie had certain rules about wishing. I think there were three. One was that you can't wish for more wishes. Another was that he can't bring people back from the dead. And the third was that the Genie couldn't make anyone fall in love with you.

She swears that she didn't remember this "love rule" from the movie. I, obviously, had it right there ready to roll off my tongue. And this is when I realized, the way we remember Aladin may be a great way to analyze our thoughts about love. Let's give it a try.

College Roomie is a romantic at heart. She's one of those girls who probably doodled boys' names on her notebook in elementary school. And College Roomie is a denier. So, for example, when I called her after I had my car accident in college and told her what happened, she repeatedly kept saying, "Noooo. Noooo. Nooooo." As if her continuing to deny this would make it not really happen. So, in order to maintain her romantic outlook and deny any chance that romance might not win out, she completely blocked this idea that the Genie can't make someone fall in love with you from her head.

I, on the other hand, am not a romantic. And I think I'm a realist. And I over-analyze everything (which shoul come as no shock if you've read this blog for any length of time at all). I think it's as much of a defense mechanism as anything--if you don't expect too much, you're not disappointed if you don't get it. So the fact that EVEN the all powerful Genie, who could do just about anything in the world, couldn't make someone fall in love with me was traumatic to learn. I'm telling you, this is haunting stuff---how am I supposed to capture Mr. Right when even the Genie couldn't do it? I lose sleep over this kind of thing!

It's funny to me that our outlooks on this real life topic completely impacted our memory of a movie that we watched when we were 7. As with most things in life, I'm sure that the correct view lies somewhere in the middle. Maybe College Roomie is a bit too far to the "Love conquers all" camp, and I'm sure I'm too far in the "Does love really exist" camp. Maybe that's why she's one of my best friends--we balance each other out.

So cross your fingers for both of us. That College Roomie's happy ending works out just like she has it planned in her head...doodles and all. And that Mr. Right will somehow be tricked into falling in love with me absent a magic spell being cast.