It’s not what you’re thinking. Yes, there are trolls in this world – the internet kind, the cave kind. But I’m talking about the fictional kind. The kind that are now on my TV daily - multiple times a day at that.
Since mid-April, I have seen the movie, Trolls, approximately 187 times. And not just the first one. Trolls World Tour and come to find out there is also a holiday special. The more than 100 million dollars the second movie turned in profit? Yea, my family contributed $60 to that. Not by choice. Not by personal preference. Not because I have had nothing else to do. Well, not initially at least. But because my two-year-old has an addiction. We are slightly concerned, considering treatment options, but we figure it could be worse.
I would like to think that we are like most parents with small kiddos during this pandemic, in that we have done some scrambling in trying to figure out this new norm. So, one of our solutions has been buying or renting All. The. Movies. on Amazon Prime. I mean, what an age we live in. Amid a global crisis, movie theaters and everything else in the world closed, we can simply buy movies to stream directly on our TVs. Thank God. Little did we know, however, that one of our purchases would become the COVID-19 theme of our household.
As someone who has struggled with mental health for the better part of my life, prior to this virus, I was in a great place. Mentally, physically, professionally. Life was busy, but it was good. I was about to embark upon a book tour, travelling to several cities in NC and on the east coast. My youngest had just started a part-time preschool program. My oldest was approaching the end of his preschool career. My husband was gearing up for some work travel. We had several vacations planned that we were all looking forward to.
And then BOOM. It all came to a screeching halt. My book events were cancelled. We pulled the kids from their preschools. My husband began working from home full-time. Our vacations were no longer. And so was born the shut-down, socially distancing, quarantining, the scramble to stay afloat. Hence, my life pause, as referenced in my last post.
When we bought Trolls, I was at a point where most days consisted of going through the motions, keeping my kids alive, making it to bedtime, and drowning my sorrows in food on the couch in front of the TV. In those early days, multiple viewings of Trolls would be my saving grace to getting through the day, as I could also exist as a lump on the couch.
As the days went on, Trolls became a regular request every single morning. You want to watch this again? Sure! Why the hell not. And so we would sing and dance and hug and dance and hug and sing with Poppy and Branch every morning and into the day. In a strange way, a part of the crazy unknown in the world became known. I liked that. Rather than rushing around trying to do this and that and hurry out of the house, we would sit and watch these godforsaken trolls.
As with anything that is done over and over, Trolls and its sequels have become habit, but also comfort. Four months in, and we are still going strong with Anna Kendrick (as the voice of Poppy) and Justin Timberlake (as the voice of Branch). Believe it or not, I have grown to love this movie. It has taken on a different meaning for me. What started out as an annoying reprieve from having to entertain my children due to my looming depression has turned into a source of joy and comfort. Weird, I know.
I actually look forward to our Trolls viewing parties, despite essentially knowing every line, song, character, next scene, every line of the credits….ok it’s not at that level. Yet. As I began to overhear and then watch this movie over and over, I found its message to be quite ironic during this time.
Brief synopsis – the Trolls are forever happy creatures who live in their own happy land, until the Bergens, who are horribly miserable creatures, discover them. The Bergens believe that the only way to experience true happiness is to eat the Trolls. And so the story unfolds as such, leaving us with the takeaway that you don’t have to eat Trolls to be happy. You can find happiness within yourself. Talk about the irony, right? A global pandemic to truly hear this message. We don’t necessarily need all the things we think we do to be happy: materialism, fancy vacations, expensive dinners, and the list goes on. Sure, all of these things are great and fun and to be honest, I am looking forward to the day when some sort of pre-COVID life resumes. But we can also find happiness within the four walls of our home, with what we currently have, watching the same movie on repeat.
Food for thought.
So yes, I am allowing my children significant amounts of screen time during our days, but if they are going to be watching something, I have found happiness within myself (yes, it’s from the movie) that it is Trolls. And if we aren’t watching it, we are listening to the soundtrack. And playing with the figurines we have acquired. And reading the Trolls books we have ordered. And cuddling with the giant Poppy and Branch blanket received as a birthday gift. And sleeping with the giant life-sized Poppy we found on clearance at Target.
The Trolls bead will most likely look different for everyone. It’s about finding a silver lining and coming to cherish something you thought you never would. For us, it’s these movies. But it could be anything. My entire family has bonded and become the number one fan club of Trolls. There is something special in that. And when life does pick back up again, in all its craziness, whenever that may be, I will miss watching my dear colorful happy friends for many, many hours a day.