What Merida Taught Me About Courage
When most people think of Disney princesses, they often think of grand castles, fairy tale romances, and happily-ever-after endings. Merida is different. Her story is not centered around finding a prince or discovering true love. Instead, it is a story about identity, courage, family, and learning who you are meant to be. That is one of the reasons I have always found her story so inspiring. At first glance, Merida appears fearless. She rides through the Scottish Highlands with confidence, shoots arrows with incredible skill, and refuses to let anyone tell her who she should become. She is independent, determined, and unwilling to follow a path that does not feel true to who she is. What I appreciate most about Merida is that she reminds us it is okay to be different. So often, the world tries to place people into neat little boxes. We are given expectations about who we should be, what we should pursue, and how we should live our lives. Sometimes those expectations come from socie...