Choosing This Blog's Name

When my oldest daughter was barely 3 years old, sometime around 1996 or so, we saw a commercial for "Flying Hero Barbie".  The commercial showed the doll flying.  I don't remember whether it was cartoonized (no that’s not a real word), or whether it was a real Barbie made to look like she was really flying by some crafty grownups, but that's not the point.  Naturally, my daughter thought she was really flying and immediately said "I want a Flying Hero Barbie!”  As she was saying this at the commercial end, I heard the standard voice that informs you accessories shown are actually sold separately.... BUT THEN: a deeper, faster speaking voice said something to the effect of "Flying Barbie really doesn't fly." So I asked Tori if she'd heard what the man had said.  Of course she hadn't; with the music, beautiful Barbie and pretty images?  No way!

I honestly learned a valuable life lesson in watching my 3 year olds reaction to that silly commercial, and it was really a simple one.  That lesson being that when something is presented to you, look at it.  BUT while looking, try and see past the trappings of it - the music, pretty images, whatever - and see what it REALLY is. 

Needless to say that while I learned the lesson I don't always follow it - and worse, sometimes feel its sting in hind sight.  Like when I bought a month's supply of supplements with a label reading "Get High School Skinny!" and I didn't miraculously return to my 95 lb. high school body after those magical 30 days (or even lose 5 lbs). Yes, once I had gone through that bottle you can bet I heard "Flying Barbie really doesn't fly" in my head.  I heard it in "announcer-man" voice as well which made it that much worse.

So there you have it.... a thought process I try to implement to discern fact from fiction in my own life as well as the title to this blog actually came from a Barbie commercial.  Who knew Barbie could be so deep?!