Daily Archives: October 28, 2014

Were you influenced by fairy tales as a kid? I grew up with 3 brothers, so I knew “the prince” story was a lie

Brer RabbitWere you influenced by fairy tales as a kid? Did you, as a result of having heard a particular fairy tale, form expectations about what your life would be like in the real world?  I don’t recall being read fairy tales except for  Br’er Rabbit, the trickster who could talk his way out of anything. By brother loved that story as a kid so I had to hear it every fricken night. This post was going to be about “I never learned anything from fairy tales,” but maybe I did.  It wasn’t the Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty and Handsome Prince stories that enraptured me and made me have expectations in the world.  I grew up with 3 brothers, so I knew “the prince” story was a lie. The brothers were handsome and smooth but they weren’t princes.  They were Br’er Rabbit, tricksters able to talk their way out of anything. I haven’t pondered it until now, but my entire professional career has been about words and spinning information to a particular advantage.  Now, with Horizons Magazine, I spin to a hope to a faithful readership. During a 22 year career as a criminal defense paralegal, I had brilliant mentors in the trial attorneys I worked for. I learned different ways of presenting information to spin it to the advantage of the client.  Continue reading