I really hope I can do it
‘Cause they’re all depending on me
I know that I must leave the only home
I’ve ever known
And brave the dangers of the forest
Saving them before they’re eaten
I mean, how hard can that be?

Looking up at a sunny sky, so shiny and blue
And there’s a butterfly
Well, isn’t that a super fantastic sign
It’s gonna be a fantastic day
Such marvelousness it’s gonna bring
Gotta pocket full of songs that I’m gonna sing
And I’m ready to take on anything
Hooray!

Some super fun surprise around each corner
Just riding on a rainbow, I’m gonna be okay

Hey!
I’m not giving up today
There’s nothing getting in my way
And if you knock knock me over
I will get back up again
Oh!
If something goes a little wrong
Well you can go ahead and bring it on
‘Cause if you knock knock me over, I will get back up again

Woah oh oh oh oh oh oh, get back up again
Woah oh oh oh oh oh oh, ahhhh!

I’m marching along I’ve got confidence
I’m cooler than a pack of peppermints
And I haven’t been this excited since
I can’t remember when!

I’m off on this remarkable adventure
Just riding on a rainbow
What if it’s all a big mistake?
What if it’s more than I can take?
No! I can’t think that way ’cause I know
That I’m really, really, really gonna be okay

Hey!
I’m not giving up today
There’s nothing getting in my way
And if you knock knock me over
I will get back up again
Oh!
If something goes a little wrong
Well you can go ahead and bring it on
‘Cause if you knock knock me over, i will get back up again

(Get up, get up, get up) woah oh oh oh oh oh oh
Get back up again
(Get up, get up, get up) woah oh oh oh oh oh oh

I’m okay!

(Get up, get up, get up) woah oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
And if you knock knock me over, knock knock me over
I will get back up again

This is the ultimate self-affirmation song. Forget that it’s sung by a small pink troll. This is an important song.

Let’s dissect.

Unhappy monsters are trying to eat the happy little trolls because the monsters believe that is the only way that they themselves can truly be happy. Woah. That is deep. Princess Poppy is terrified of these monsters too but she will brave her fears to save the happy ways of her people.

It’s a big mission. She has self-doubt. She has setbacks. But she has determination. And she repeatedly tells herself “it’s all gonna be okay.” She also wants the unhappy monsters to be happy too. She wants to show them, through her endless supply of rose-colored glasses, that you can be happy. Not just by devouring others, either.

Resilience. That is an underused word in our vocabulary. I don’t hear that word often but it seems to sum up so many feelings. If we’re not resilient, we cease to exist. Illness. Rejection. Disappointment. Relationships. Grief. Failure. Money. The resilience that Princess Poppy sings about is a rah-rah song for us all.

I’m obsessed with signs and symbols. Most of them only make sense to me. They’re like a little game I play with myself. Some days teetering on the edge of OCD, signs and symbols are my version of rose-colored glasses. Like Princess Poppy says:

“And there’s a butterfly
Well, isn’t that a super fantastic sign”

Today I took Miriam to the park. It was cold but beautiful. She was all rosy cheeks and smiles to be outside. We ran through the soccer field and climbed the bleachers. We played I-Spy. We climbed up the slides. While we ran back and forth until we were both breathless, I stopped in my tracks at this brown leaf.

“Miriam, what does this leaf look like?!” I asked.

“A BUTTERFLY!!!!” she yelled.

It is my nature to dream. It is my nature to want to simply be happy. I’m not always successful. But I am resilient.